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Catholic 
Belief and Practice 

Rev. James E. McGavick i 6 JL>v 



Fourth Edition. 
Revised and Enlarged. 



1910 

The M. H. Wiltzius Co., 

Publishers 
Milwaukee New York 



Nihil Obstat: 



Rev. H. B. Ries, 



Censor Librorum. 



Imprimatur: 

* S. G. Messmer, D. D., 

Archbishop of Milwaukee 



Copyright 1910 by The M. H. Wiltzius Co, 



©CI.A261921 



Preface to Fourth Edition. 



The favorable reception accorded '^Catholic Belief 
and Practice" is most gratifying. The sales have grown 
to such an extent as to render it advisable to revise and 
enlarge it with a view of increasing its usefulness. 
Three editions have already been exhausted, and a 
fourth edition^ carefully revised and enlarged, will now 
be published by the M. H. Wiltzius Company of Mil- 
waukee and New York. 

During the short time that this small volume has 
been before the public^ the author has received numer- 
ous commendations from the Clergy in all parts of the 
country. Their words of praise have been an incentive 
to him to make the book still more useful to Catholics 
by affording them a ready means of instruction in their 
various religious duties, and to non-Catholics, by sup- 
plying them with a short and concise explanation of the 
customs and practices of the Catholic Church. 

We sincerely hope that this new edition will merit 
even more than heretofore the confidence and good will 
of the Catholic public. 

J. E. M., 

Holy Angels Church^ 

Chicago. 

April, 1910. 



CONTENTS 




Advent 169 

Agnus Dei 114 

Anniversaries 48 

Ashes, Blessed 110 

Ash- Wednesday (see Ashes, Blessed) , 110 

Banns of Marriage 98 

Baptism 24 

Baptism, Ceremonies of , 26 

Baptism, Private and Solemn 25 

Believe, What Catholics Must 7 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament 123 

Blessed Sacrament, Adoration of the 61 

Blessings of the Church.' 105 

Blessing, The Last 74 

Burial, Catholic (see Funerals) 45 

Candles, Blessed 109 

Cemetery, Catholic (see Funerals) 45 

Choir, The 154 

Christmas 170 

Church, The 15 

Church and the Clergy, The 148 

Church, Conduct in. 42 

Church, Passing A 45 

Churches, Dedication and Consecration of 116 

Churching Women 133 

Confession (see Penance) 78 

Confession, Manner of Making a 80 

Confession, Children's (see Penance) 76 

Confirmation 31 

Confraternities and Sodalities 138 

Congregational Attitudes 36 

Commandments of God, The 13 

Communion, Holy , 52 

Communion, Receiving Holy 54 

Communion, After Holy 55 

Crosses and Crucifixes 118 

Days of Fast and Abstinence..... 164 

Dead, Duty to the 194 

Devotions, Special 120 

Do. What Catholics Must 10 

Duty to Ourselves 197 

Dying. Helping the 70 

Easter 178 

Easter Duty 60 

Easter Water 113 

Education, Catholic 151 

Ember Days 166 

Ember Week (see Ember Days) 165 

Examination of Conscience 77 

Extreme Unction 71 

Fasting and Abstaining 163 

Feast Days 158 

Feasts, Other Important 179 

First Holy Communion 67 



Forty Hours' Adoration 125 

Funerals 45 

Genuflections (see Blessed Sacrament, Adoration of the). 61 
Good Friday 176 

Heaven 184 

Hell 187 

Holy Days of Obligration 161 

Holy Eucharist 32 

Holy Saturday 177 

Holy Thursday 175 

Holy Water 107 

Holy Week 174 

Images, Statues and Pictures 115 

Impediments to Marriage 96 

Indulgences 82 

Indulgences, Conditions Necessary to Gain.. 85 

Indulgences, How Blessed Articles Lose Their 87 

Introductory ..... 3 

Judgments of God 182 

Lent 171 

Litanies, The 134 

Marriage (see Matrimony) 92 

Marriage, New Law of 93 

Marriages, Times Forbidding 103 

Marriages, "Mixed" 101 

Marriage Ceremony, The 100 

Mass, The 33 

Mass, Attendance at 36 

Mass, Attitudes at Low 38 

Mass, Attitudes at High 39 

Mass, Attitude at Solemn High 40 

Mass, Attitude at a Requiem 41 

Mass of the Presanctifted (see Good Friday) 176 

Mass, Manner of Hearing 34 

Matrimony 92 

May Devotions 136 

Mission, A 141 

Month's Mind, The ^ 50 

Novena, A 145 

Octaves (see Feast Days) 158 

Oils, Holy (see Holy Thursday) 175 

Palm, Blessed 112 

Parish, The 147 

Parochial Idea, The J.50 

Penance 76 

Prayer, Is It Heard and Ans wered .- 20 

Prayer Book, Using the 43 

Prayers, Morning and Evening 19 

Precepts of the Church 18 

Purgatory 190 

Relics, Holy 119 

Repository (see Holy Thursday) 175 

Restitution 89 

Restitution, a Case of 9l 

Retreat, A : 143 

Rogation Days 168 

Rosary, The 127 



Sacramentals, The 108 

Sacraments, The 22 

Sacraments of the Sick i 63 

Scapular, The 131 

Schools, Catholic (see Education, Catholic) 151 

Sign of the Cross 107 

Sick, Advice to the 65 

Sick Calls 64 

Sick, Preparation of the : 67 

Sick Room, Arranging the 69 

Societies, Forbidden 140 

Sodalities and Confraternities 138 

Sponsors in Baptism 29 

Stations of the Cross 129 

Sunday 160 

Tenebrae (see Holy Week) 174 

Triduum, A 146 

Vespers 121 

Vespers, Attitudes at...: 122 

Vestments, Color of 50 

Viaticum, The 72 

Vigils (see Feast Days) 158 

Year, The Ecclesiastical 156 



Catholic Belief and Practice. 



WHAT CATHOLICS MUST BELIEVE. 

As Catholics we must believe in one only God, Cre- 
ator of heaven and earth and all things, who is all just, 
holy and merciful, — infinite in all perfections ; and that 
in God there are three divine Persons, really distinct 
and equal, namely, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 

We must believe that God created angels to adore 
Him in heaven, but some of them rebelled and were cast 
into hell. God also created Adam and Eve from whom 
the human family has descended. He placed them in 
an earthly paradise, but expelled them on account of 
their eating the forbidden fruit. By this transgression 
of our first parents, sin came into the world, and we 
are all conceived in it and born with it upon our soul. 
We could never free ourselves from this sin had not 
God showed His mercy by sending us a Savior. 

We must believe that this Savior is our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who assumed 
human flesh to redeem us. He is true God, because He 
is the Son of God, and true man because He is the Son 
of a human mother, and has a body and soul like ours. 

We must believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was 
conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, 



8 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

in a miraculous manner by the power of the Holy 
Ghost; that God preserved her free from original sin 
from the first moment of her conception ; that our Lord 
Jesus Christ was born of her, she remaining a virgin; 
that He offered Himself up to His Father as a sacrifice 
for the sins of the world; and that there is no mercy, 
no grace, no salvation except through Him. 

We are bound to believe that Jesus Christ died upon 
the cross, and arose from the dead on the third day, 
and stayed on earth forty days after, showing Himself 
to, and conversing with. His disciples, and then in sight 
of them ascended into heaven. Thence He sent the 
Holy Ghost upon them and His Church. 

We must believe that Christ established a Church 
and only one Church for the whole world and all peo- 
ple; and that she is the Catholic Church; that Christ is 
her invisible Head and the Holy Ghost her guide; that 
she has a visible head on earth, the Pope, who holds his 
office by virtue of his being the successor of St. Peter, 
whom Christ made chief of the Apostles and His vicar 
on earth; that this Church is infallible, and shall exist 
to the end of the world, and has the authority to rule 
and govern the faithful. 

We must believe that a Eevelation was made by 
God to man, or that God spoke words to man; that this 
Eevelation is contained in the Sacred Scriptures and in 
Tradition; that these Scriptures and the truths con- 
tained in Tradition were committed to the Church and 
that she is the guardian and interpreter of them; and 
that the Scriptures and Tradition as interpreted by the 
Church are our rule of faith and practice. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 9 

We must believe that when the Pope speaks "ex 
cathedra/^ in defining a doctrine of faith or morals to 
the whole Church he is infallible. 

We must believe that our Lord Jesus Christ insti- 
tuted seven Sacraments as means of salvation^ namely, 
Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Ex- 
treme Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony; and that 
they confer interior grace. 

Also that our Lord instituted one great Sacrifice of 
His Body and Blood, to be offered up till the end of 
the world. It is called the Mass. 

We must believe that the Blessed Sacrament of the 
Eucharist contains truly, really and substantially the 
Body and the Blood with the soul and divinity of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

We must believe in a Communion of Saints, that is, 
a "fellowships^ between the members of the Church on 
earth, the saints in Heaven and the souls in Purgatory. 
We can help one another by our prayers and deeds of 
charity; we can pray for the souls in Purgatory and 
thus help them, and to the saints in Heaven, and they 
can pray for us and thus help us. We should believe, 
also, that the saints in Heaven should be honored and 
venerated, and that this veneration is good and useful. 

We must believe that the soul is immortal ; that there 
is a Hereafter, that is, a Heaven^ a Hell, a Purgatory, 
where man shall be rewarded or punished after death 
according to his works. 

We must believe that God will judge us immediately 
after death; that this world shall be destroyed, and on 
that last day Christ shall come as Judge; that then 



10 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 

every soul shall be re-united to its body and shall ap- 
pear before Him to be judged; and that He shall render 
to every one according to his works; and by the sen- 
tence which He shall pronounce must all abide through- 
out eternity. 

There are other doctrines which a Catholic must be- 
lieve, but they are really contained in the above ; as, for 
instance, the definitions of the Church assembled in her 
General Councils which, follow from her infallible 
teaching authority. 



WHAT CATHOLICS MUST DO. 

Faith alone will not conduct the soul to everlasting 
life. In addition to faith it must have good works to 
its credit. Our Lord says it will be rendered to every- 
one according to his works. It is again written, that 
faith without good works is null and void. Season and 
the best interests of humanity are in accord with these 
words. 

What are the works we must do, or avoid doing, to 
be pleasing to God? They can be stated under a few 
main headings: 

1. We must keep the Ten Commandments of God. 

2. We must obey the chief precepts of the Church. 

3. We must avoid the seven capital sins and pos- 
sess in a degree their corresponding virtues. 

4. We must perform the special duties and fulfill 
the obligations which arise from our state of life. 

5. We must receive the Sacraments when our con- 
dition or state of life requires or permits their reception. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 11 

6. If we grievously offend against the law of God, 
or in other words, sin mortally, we must sincerely re- 
pent and seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of 
Penance. 

The Ten Commandments are first and foremost. It 
is absolutely necessary to keep them. They are the 
moral code of Christians. They practically cover the 
whole field of moral action. They contain so much that 
many forget their essential requirements. We should 
be well acquainted with not merely their lettering, but 
their spirit. 

We should know not only what they command and 
prohibit, but what they reasonably imply. Taken in 
their whole bearing they are so extensive that we cannot 
enter into details here. The little Catechism, however, 
could be read over and over again with great profit by 
young and old. We should not forget that the first pre- 
cept of the Decalogue, besides the duties imposed on us 
by the three virtues of faith^ hope and charity, contains 
the divine precept of our Lord on prayer. We should 
pray every day to obtain the grace of doing good and 
avoiding sin. 

Besides the Ten Commandments, the Church has 
framed certain laws or made binding certain precepts 
which must be obeyed. The chief of these are six, 
namely: to go to Mass every Sunday and holy day of 
obligation; to fast and abstain on days appointed; to 
go to confession once a year; to go to holy Communion 
during the Easter time of each year; to contribute our 
share towards the support of the Church (binding in 



12 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

charity) ; and to comply with the laws of God and of 
the Church in reference to marriage, particularly 
against divorce. 

If we wish to avoid an evil, we must get at the root 
of it. It must be dug up and destroyed. The roots of 
aU evil are these seven sins : pride, covetousness, anger, 
lust, envy, gluttony and sloth. These are called the 
seven capital sins^ and we must not only avoid them, 
but we must possess at least in a degree their corre- 
sponding virtues ; that is, humility in the place of pride ; 
charity or liberality in the place of covetousness and 
greed ; meekness in the place of anger ; purity and chas- 
tity in the place of lust, which is impurity and unchas- 
tity; brotherly love and good will in the place of envy; 
temperance in eating and drinking in the place of glut- 
tony, which is intemperance in all its forms; and rea- 
sonable diligence in daily work and activity in serving 
God in the place of sloth, which is idleness and care- 
lessness in living up to the teachings of religion. Let 
us not forget that Leo XIII has declared socialism to 
be opposed to the virtue of justice. 

All have special duties and obligations which arise 
from their state of life. For instance, parents have 
duties to their children, and children to their parents; 
employers have duties to those whom they employ, and 
employes to their employers; doctors to their patients; 
lawyers to their clients; priests to their people, etc. 
Every state of life has numerous special duties and 
obligations which must be faithfully fulfilled. Leo XIII 
advises young people in order to avoid the dangers of 
condemned societies (see article ^^Societies Condemned 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 13 

by the Church^^)^ to resolve never to join any society 
without the previous advice of their parents and their 
pastor. 

As God is infinitely good, there is pardon for each 
and every offense, no matter how great, provided we are 
sorry, and propose not to offend again, and seek recon- 
ciliation to the divine goodness through the means 
which our Lord instituted for the forgiveness of sins 
and the increase of sanctifying grace. These means are 
the Sacraments through which sins are forgiven and 
grace unto everlasting life is imparted to the soul. 



THE COMMANDMENTS OP GOD. 

The Commandments given by God to Moses on 
Mount Sinai and confirmed by our Lord, are as follows : 

1. I am the Lord thy God, * * * thou shalt not 
have strange gods before Me. 

(The full wording of this command is: I am the 
Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of 
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not 
have strange gods before Me. Thou shalt not make to 
thyself a graven things nor the likeness of any thing 
that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath, nor of 
those things that are in the waters under the earth. 
Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them.) 

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
God in vain. 

3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. 

4. Honor thy father and thy mother. 

5. Thou shalt not kill. 



14 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

6. Thou slialt not commit adultery. 

7. Thou shalt not steal. 

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbor. 

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 
The above commands are divine laws imposed by 

God upon the human race. They were approved and 
confirmed by our Lord^ tod are, therefore, the moral 
code of Christians. They are so extensive either in their 
expressed or implied meaning that they practically 
cover the whole field of moral action. They either ex- 
press or imply all our duties and obligations towards 
God and our fellow men. 

They must be kept in their entirety. No one is 
excused from their observance. No man, no class, no 
body of men can set them aside, or make exceptions to 
them, or treat them with impunity. It was not without 
significance that they were given to men engraven on 
tablets of stone to signify that they must be ineffacably 
stamped upon their minds and in their hearts. They 
must be lived up to. 

No other set of laws has ever done the human race 
so much good, and no other set of laws can ever take 
their place. They bear the impress of the Almighty, 
and make known to the world His holy will in all that 
is best, purest, holiest and most elevating in human 
conduct. The Voice of Sinai has turned men heaven- 
ward, and they will cease to walk in that direction 
when they cease to listen to that Voice, They will then 
turn away from God. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 15 

Taken in their whole bearing, these commands eon- 
tain so much that their details would fill volumes, and 
on this account we are apt to forget some of their essen- 
tial parts. We cannot here enter into these details, but 
Catholics ought to occasionally read over some short 
treatise in reference, to them, or at least the little 
Catechism^ so as to be acquainted with their main re- 
quirements. 

The motives impelling us to observe them will be 
found in truest love towards God and our fellow men. 
For this reason our Lord condensed them into two, 
namely^ love for God and love for one another. He 
said: . "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy 
whole heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. 
And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments de- 
pendeth the whole law and the prophets.^^ As may be 
seen, the three first commandments primarily refer to 
God, the other seven to our neighbor. All men are our 
neighbors. Hence he who sincerely loves God and his 
neighbor keeps the whole law. 



THE CHURCH. 



The Church unerringly tells us what we must be- 
lieve and do for our salvation. Through her and the 
Sacraments we partake of the fruits of Christ's Ee- 
demption. 

The Church is the congregation of those who are 
baptized, profess the faith of Christ, partake of the 



16 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

same Sacraments and are ruled by their lawful pastors 
under one visible head. In other words, the Church is, 
to quote the Eoman Catechism, the Christian common- 
wealth, or the faithful dispersed throughout the world. 

The visible head of the Church is the Pope, who is 
the Bishop of Eome, the Vicar of Christ and the suc- 
cessor of St. Peter. Our Lord in Heaven is her invisi- 
ble head. 

The Church has three parts, namely, the Church 
triumphant or those of her members who are enjoying 
everlasting happiness in Heaven, the Church suffering, 
or those who are in Purgatory^ and the Church militant 
or those who are on earth ^"^fighting'^ for the salvation 
of their souls. The fellowship existing between these 
parts is called the ^^Communion of Saints.^^ 

The Church has marks by which she may be known. 
A mark is that by which one object may be distin- 
guished from another. The marks of the Church are 
four, namely, unity^ holiness, catholicity and apostolic- 
ity. She is one because all her members profess the 
same faith, partake of the same Sacraments and afre 
under one head. The unity of the Church is not de- 
stroyed by the withdrawal or expulsion of members who 
fall away and profess a different belief^ but to acknowl- 
edge them to be good members and allow them to re- 
main within her would destroy her unity. She is holy 
because her founder, Jesus Christ, is holy, because she 
teaches a holy doctrine and because of the great holi- 
ness of so many of her children. She does not teach a 
single doctrine that is unholy or leads to unholiness. 
All her members would become saintly, if they would 



CATHOLIO BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 17 

only obey her. Those who are not holy do not obey 
her or do not practice what she teaches. 

The Church is Catholic^ because she is universal as 
to time, place and truth, or she subsists in all ages, 
teaches all nations and maintains all truth. A national 
church is not universal, hence not Catholic. It is true 
that the Catholic Church is called Eoman, but this ap- 
pellation is not given her because she is intended solely 
for Eome, but to designate that the chief seat of her 
authority is in Eome. She is finally Apostolic, because 
she was founded on the Apostles and teaches what they 
taught and is governed by their successors. No church 
can claim to be Apostolic that was founded centuries 
after the Apostles. 

Besides the above marks, the Church has three 
attributes^ namely, authority, infallibility and indefecti- 
bility. By her authority is meant the right and power 
to teach and govern the faithful. By her infallibility 
is meant her inerrency in defining or teaching doctrines 
of faith and morals. She speaks infallibly in her gen- 
eral Councils or through the Pope when he speaks ^^ex 
cathedra'^ or defines a doctrine of faith or morals to the 
whole Church. By her indefectibility is meant that she 
will last to the end of time. 

'Ro church has these marks and attributes but the 
Catholic Church. A church in which any one of them 
is wanting is not the Church which Christ founded. 

Must all belong to the Church? All are bound to 
belong to her, for Christ established His Church for all 
men, and he who knows and believes her to be that 
Church which Christ established and will not join her, 



18 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

cannot save his soul. If he is in doubt he must make 
a reasonable effort to clear away such doubts. He must 
inquire, and above all things pray earnestly for light 
and guidance. 

Why do I belong to the Catholic Church? Because 
I know and believe that Christ established a Church 
for the whole world and for all men. I and everyone 
should^ therefore^ belong to that Church. I know and 
believe that the Catholic Church is that Church or is 
the Church of Christ. Hence I belong to her. 



THE CHIEF PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH. 

The chief precepts of the Church are as follows : 

1. To attend Mass every Sunday and holy day of 
obligation. 

2. To fast and abstain on days appointed. 

3. To go to .confession once a year. 

4. To go to Communion once a year. During the 
Easter time. 

5. To contribute to the support of our pastors. 

6. Not to marry persons who are not Catholics, 
nor related within the fourth degree of kindred, nor 
privately without witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage 
at forbidden times. 

There can be no doubt^ t ft al the Church has the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 19 

power to enact such laws^ and make them binding in 
conscience. For details pertaining to the above pre- 
cepts, the reader is referred to special articles on fasting 
and abstaining, the Sunday, Easter duty, holy days of 
obligation, the Church and the Clergy, and marriage. 



MORNING AND EVENING PRAYERS. 

Catholics are accustomed to pray every morning and 
evening. That is what is meant by their ^"^morning and 
evening prayers/^ Early in the beginning of the day, 
we ask God to direct our actions and bless our labors; 
and late in the evening, just before retiring, we beg 
Him to be with us and protect us during the darkness 
of the night. 

There is no set form of morning or evening prayers^ 
but Catholics usually say the Our Father, the Hail 
Mary, the Apostles' Creed^ the Confiteor, the acts of 
faith, hope, charity and contrition. The Our Father is 
the sublimest prayer ever uttered on earth. It was 
composed by our Lord Himself, and hence it is called 
the Lord^s prayer. The Hail Mary is a salutation to 
the Virgin Mary. It contains the very words with 
which the angel Gabriel saluted her and announced to 
her that she was to become the Mother of God. The 
Apostles^ Creed is a short epitctoe of the chief articles 
of Catholic belief. Other prayers or one of the Litanies, 
particularly the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, may be 
added. The Eosary may also be recited. While it is 
always best to say the above prayers, we can pray in our 
own words according to our tastes and needs. It is an 



20 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

excellent thing to ask God to assist us in our undertak- 
ings, to bless our friends^ to forgive our enemies, to 
enlighten those who are over us, and to be merciful to 
the souls in Purgatory. 

All our good actions are deserving of merit and we 
can apply our merits to others or any good cause, pro- 
vided we have the intention of doing so. Besides there 
are indulgences attached to many good actions, but we 
must have the intention of gaining them, at least a 
general or implied intention. It is well to form such 
an intention and assign our merits for special purposes 
when we say our morning prayers. We can say: "I 
desire to gain all indulgences today/^ or, "I offer up 

all my actions today for /^ These words, or even 

the thought of them^ would be sufficient. 

All good Catholics are particular about their morn- 
ing and evening prayers. They say them as regularly 
as the day comes and goes. So should it be with you; 
never miss them, except for the gravest reasons. The 
time spent is insignificant and the benefits accruing are 
exceedingly great. You will then begin the day by 
praising and invoking the holy name of God, and you 
will end it with the same sweet name upon your lips 
and in your heart. 



ARE PRAYERS HEARD AND ANSWERED? 

God is certainly ever ready to listen to our prayers, 
and will answer them if we pray aright, and He sees it 
will be for our good. The Scriptures are full of pas- 
sages which assert in the most forcible words that ^^igh 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 21 

as are the heavens and low as is the earth, God hears 
the voice of men/^ Our Lord was most emphatic on 
this point, especially prayers presented to the Father 
in His name. 

It is, however^ true that prayers are sometimes un- 
heard and unanswered. God will not grant us in answer 
to prayers things that may be injurious to our spiritual 
welfare. He will not answer prayers that are not said 
with faith, confidence, earnestness and perseverance. 
It is not likely that He will grant things that are use- 
less or unnecessary or harmful. But our religion teaches 
that when we pray aright, God, if He does not give the 
identical favor we ask, bestows greater blessings and 
more valuable gifts in forms and disguises that may 
escape our attention. We know little about the eternal 
influence of events or things. We know nothing about 
the blessings we will secure or the misfortunes we will 
escape in the future. We are safer in God^s hands. To 
devout souls God grants more than they ask, anticipat- 
ing even the desires of the heart. 

In this connection we should never forget the words 
of St. Augustine. He says: ^^God denies some things 
in His love, which He grants in His wrath.^^ We should 
remember the truth expressed by these words. Because 
God is not pleased with some people He may grant them 
the objects of their heart's desire, namely, wealth, posi- 
tion, prosperity and worldly success — ^things that our 
Lord looked upon with disfavor. He condemned them, 
not because they are evil in themselves, but because they 
are liable to taint the mind and corrupt the heart and 
draw both mind and heart away from Him, They are 



22 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

good only in the possession of the good ; they are curses 
in the possession of the bad. Hence God may, though 
it cannot be said that He does in any particular in- 
stance, give them in His anger. But He always gives 
to His friends only such things as His love prompts 
Him to give. We surely want nothing from God in His 
anger, no matter how good or fair or beautiful it may 
appear; we want only such things as come from His 
infinite love^ no matter how distasteful they may be or 
how hard they may be to bear. 



THE SACRAMENTS. 

A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace, 
instituted by Jesus Christ for our sanctification. In 
other words^ our Lord specified that certain outward 
actions be performed, and if they are performed prop- 
erly and with right dispositions He has promised to 
impart to the soul certain graces. These actions, or signs 
coming under the domain of the senses, are seven in 
number, and, are called Baptism, Confirmation, Holy 
Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders and 
Matrimony. The first and fourth, that is, Baptism and 
Penance, impart a grace remissive of sin. They cannot 
be received unless there is sin to be forgiven. They are 
called Sacramests of the dead, because they give that 
which is the life of the soul, namely, sanctifying grace. 
The soul that is not in a state of sanctifying grace is 
dead before God, not in the sense that its immortality 
is destroyed, but in the sense that God's abiding friend- 
ship has been forfeited. The other Sacraments increase 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 23 

this sanctifying grace. They are called Sacraments of 
the living, because the one who receives them worthily 
is living the life of grace. He already possesses sancti- 
fying grace, and their reception increases it. Moreover, 
each of the Sacraments gives a sacramental grace, which 
is a divine help towards the accomplishment of the pur- 
pose or the attainment of the end for which the Sacra- 
ment was instituted. Baptism, Confirmation and Holy 
Orders can be received only once, because they imprint 
a spiritual character on the soul which can never be 
effaced. The others can be received more than once. 

They are wonderful means for the acquisition of 
sanctity. They are instruments of God^s choicest bless- 
ings. Through them moral transgression is forgiven, 
virtue nourished, spiritual strength supplied, and human 
nature fortified. They are divine institutions, and no 
one can afford to disbelieve in their efficacy, nor neglect 
their use, nor regard them with disfavor. 

Eef erring to their number, the Catechism of the 
Council of Trent says that there is probably an analogy 
between the relation they bear to the soul and the rela- 
tion certain laws of nature bear to the body. The simi- 
larity of the workings between the two is very striking. 
For instance, certain things are absolutely necessary for 
the existence of our body or our natural parts, namely, 
birth, growth, nourishment, healing, strength, govern- 
ment and continuation of society. 

It is very striking that the Sacraments supply the 
needs of similar necessities of the soul, signifying that 
there may be an analogy or likeness between the wants 
of the two. Thus, Baptism is the Sacrament of re-birth 



•24 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

or birth unto everlasting life. "Unless a man be bom 
again of water and the Holy Ghost^ he cannot enter 
into the Kingdom of God/^ Confirmation is the Sacra- 
ment of growth. Through the operations of the Holy 
Ghost and His divine gifts^ the soul grows into holiness:' 
and sanctity. The Eucharist is that Sacrament in which 
the soul is nourished with the body and blood of Christ. 
Penance is the Sacrament of healing. The soul is 
thereby cured when affliMed with the deadly disease of 
sin. Holy Orders are the Sacrament of government, 
and Matrimony the Sacrament of the continuation of 
society unto future years. 

If this comparison between the wants of the soul 
and body holds good, it conveys a very serious thought. 
It signifies that the person who refuses or neglects to 
make use of the Sa#aments, places his soul at least in 
a manner in the same position as the body is placed in 
when its natural wants are not supplied. Hence the 
necessity of making frequent use of these Sacraments 
which in the designs of Providence are intended as 
means by which we advance toward moral beauty of 
heart and soul. 



BAPTISM. 



Our Lord instituted the Sacrament of Baptism when 
He was baptized by St. John. Its reception became 
obligatory on all when He said: ^^Going, therefore, 
teach ye all nations ; baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.^^ It is 
absolutely necessary to receive it as a condition to en- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 25 

trance into the Kingdom of God, as we know from these 
words : "Unless a man be born again of water and the 
Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God/^ 
Being the first Sacrament in point of reception, it is 
the entrance into the association of Christianity and 
the gateway to the Church. If validly received it 
washes away original sin and all actual sins which the 
recipient may have previously committed, if he has 
right sorrow for them, bringing him into the fold of 
the one true Shepherd, making him a Christian, a child 
of God and an heir of Heaven. There are three kinds 
of Baptism, namely, that of water which is ordinarily 
given ; that of blood which is martyrdom for the Chris- 
tian faith, and that of desire which is a longing to do 
all that God has ordained for salvation, and if we knew 
what He requires, we would willingly do it. But proper 
diligence must be shown in finding out the requirements 
of God for salvation. 

On account of its absolute necessity, children are 
baptized as soon as they can be brought to the church 
with safety. This means as soon as possible without 
injuring the child^s health. There is great danger in 
delay. Parents who postpone having their child bap- 
tized are assuming a great responsibility. The cere- 
monies of Baptism are most important and the parents 
should take the keenest interest in them. The father 
should always be present. It does not look well for his 
faith when he absents himself. The Christian name 
should be carefully selected and that of a saint given. 



26 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

PRIVATE AND SOLEMN BAPTISM. 

When Baptism is administered in the home without 
any of the customary ceremonies^ it is called private 
Baptism, and no sponsors are necessary. Neither is 
it necessary to give the child a name. When it is given 
publicly in the church with all the ceremonies, it is 
called solemn, and one sponsor is required. Two spon- 
sors are allowed, but not more than two, on account of 
the spiritual relationship contracted. 

A lay person can give ojQly private Baptism, and he t: 

does so by taking common water, pouring it on the head t 

or forehead of the child, and at the same time saying 
with the intention of doing what the Church does : "I 
baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost/^ 

Lay persons must not administer this Sacrament, 
except in cases of real necessity, that is, unless there is 
danger of death before the priest can be called or before 
he arrives. In these cases some one should baptize the 
child, but the father or mother should not baptize their 
own child, if there be anyone else present who can ad- 
minister the Sacrament. A Catholic doctor or nurse 
is the best, or a Catholic who understands something 
about its administration. A gentleman should take 
precedence to a lady, unless the latter is better 
acquainted with the formula. 

When a child is baptized in the home, that is, bap- 
tized privately, it must, in case of recovery, be brought 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PKACTICE. 27 

to the church to have the ceremotiies supplied. These 
can be given only in the church. 



CEREMONIES OF BAPTISM. 

The ceremonies of Baptism are of very ancient 
origin. Some of them are of Apostolic tradition, while 
others are mentioned by the early Fathers of the 
Church. Each of them has a deep meaning, and their 
usage since the early Christian period has rendered them 
sacred in the eyes of Catholics. 

It is not our purpose to here enter into an explana- 
tion of their nature and significance, but to merely 
mention these things which are of a practical import 
to the sponsors or parents, or to those being baptized 
if they are adults. 

The sponsors or parents will be first asked what 
name they wish to give the child. The name of a saint 
should be selected. That saint will be the child^s patron 
and intercessor as well as an example to follow. Hence 
a saint^s name should be given. Then the following 
.questions will be asked, and their answers are here 
given : 

Question by Priest: What dost thou ask of the 
Church of God? 

Answer by Sponsors: Faith. 

Question by Priest : What doth Faith bring thee to ? 

Answer by Sponsors : Life everlasting. 

A little further on they will be requested to say 
aloud the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father. It 
sometimes happens that some seem to have diflSculty in 



28 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

reciting them. They should be well known and repeated 
in a slow^ distinct voice. 

They will be asked to renounce Satan with all his 
works and pomps as follows : 

Question by Priest : Dost thou renounce Satan ? 

Answer by Sponsors: I do renounce him. 

Question by Priest: And all his works? 

Answer by Sponsors: I do renounce them. 

Question by Priest : 'And all his pomps ? 

Answer by Sponsors: I do renounce them. 

Other questions and answers will be necessary just 
before pouring the water on the head of the child to 
be baptized. These are : 

Question by Priest: Dost thou believe in God the 
Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth ? 

Answer by Sponsors : I do believe. 

Question by Priest: Dost thou believe in Jesus 
Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was born into this 
world and suffered for us ? 

Answer by Sponsors : I do believe. 

Question by Priest: Dost thou believe in the Holy 
Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of 
Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the 
body, and life everlasting? 

Answer by Sponsors : I do believe. 

Question by the Priest : Dost thou wish to be bap- 
tized ? 

Answer by the Sponsors : I do. 

AVhile the water is being poured on the head, the 
sponsors are required to physically touch the child. The 
ceremonies will conclude by the priest's giving a lighted 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AKD PRACTIOE. 29 

candle to the sponsors which they hold while he recites 
the last prayer and admonition. The English transla- 
tion is very beautiful and significant^ as follows : "Ee* 
ceive this burning light and keep thy Baptism so as to 
be without blame. Observe the Commandments of God, 
that, when our Lord shall come to his nuptials, thou 
mayest meet him, together with all the saints in the 
heavenly court^ and mayest have life everlasting, and 
live forever and ever. Amen.^^ 

The above has reference to children. If the person 
to be baptized is an adult or has reached the use of 
reason, he answers the above questions, recites the 
Creed and the Our Father^ and holds the candle him- 
self. The sponsors only do what the child would do 
if it had the use of reason. 



SPONSORS IN BAPTISM. 

For private Baptism no sponsors are required. In 
the solemn administration of the Sacrament of Baptism 
there should be one, a man or a woman ; but not more 
than two, a man and a woman. The Church forbids 
more than two on account of the spiritual relationship 
contracted. Such relationship is contracted with the 
child and with its parents. When there is only one 
sponsor, it is better that such sponsor be of the same 
sex as the child. 

What is necessary to be a sponsor? 

In order to act validly as a sponsor a person, first, 
must have the use of reason ; secondly^ must himself be 



30 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

baptized; thirdly, must be designated as a sponsor by 
the parents or the pastor; fourthly, must touch physi- 
cally the infant while the water is being poured on, 
doing so either personally or by proxy; fifthly, must 
have the intention to act as sponsor and to fulfill the 
duties attaching to such office. 

What are the duties of sponsors ? 

They are obliged to act as teacher or moral guard- 
ian of the child in case the parents die or become 
separated from the child, or neglect it. Particularly 
they would be obliged to see that the child is instructed 
in its Catechism, that it makes its first Communion, is 
confirmed, and receives, if possible, a Catholic educa- 
tion. Those who become sponsors for children of mixed 
marriages must be especially watchful over them in 
case the Catholic parent should die. Sponsors are free 
from all obligation when it is prudently presumed that 
the baptized are properly instructed by their parents. 

Can two men or two women act as sponsors ? 

No. The sponsors should be a man and a woman. 

Who are forbidden to be sponsors? 

The following are valid but not lawful sponsors: 
First, Eeligious who take solemn vows ; secondly, a hus- 
band cannot be sponsor to his wife, nor a wife to her 
husband, nor parents to their children; thirdly, all per- 
sons of bad reputation or immoral character or who 
belong to forbidden societies. 

May a Protestant act as sponsor or any heretic? 

No. Not being instructed themselves in the true 
faith and having no love or reverence for it, such per- 
sons could not properly fulfill the duties of a sponsor. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 31 

When a child is baptized it should receive a Christ- 
ian name, that is, the name of some saint. Parents 
should not select purely secular or profane names. 



CONFIRMATION. 



Confirmation is a Sacrament in which we receive the 
Holy Ghost with His divine gifts, and are made strong 
and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. It 
also imprints a spiritual mark on the soul. 

Every Catholic is obliged under pain of sin to re- 
ceive it, if it is within his power. The Bishop is the 
ordinary minister of this Sacrament, and the pastor 
will always make timely announcement when he is to 
come to the parish to administer it. All the children 
who have attained the proper age should present them- 
selves for the purpose of being duly prepared for its 
reception. The Catechism must be thoroughly learned 
and such other instructions given as may enable the 
child to understand all that pertains to the worthy re- 
ception of this Sacrament. Parents should see that the 
child comes punctually to class and applies itself with 
diligence. Adults, no matter how old, and converts to 
the faith jnust present themselves also, and abide by the 
advice the priest gives them. 

To receive this Sacrament worthily, we must be 
thoroughly instructed in its nature and effects, and be 
in a state of sanctifying grace^ which means that the 
soul must be free from mortal sin. Hence the necessity 
of going to confession before-hand. It is customary for 



32 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 



children to make a retreat or triduum of three dayg 
previous to receiving Confirmation, and for adults, if 
they cannot make this retreat^ to spend as much time 
as possible in prayer and religious exercises during 
these days. 

Those who are to be confirmed should be dressed in 
a manner befitting the occasion, but no one must stay 
away because he cannot get such clothing. The circum- 
stances should be told to the pastor. They must have 
a sponsor, though generally the pastor provides one — a 
gentleman for the boys and male adults^ and a lady for 
the girls and adult women. Such sponsors contract a 
spiritual: relationship as in Baptism. 

A middle name may be given in Confirmation, and 
the name of a saint should be chosen. The candidate 
is given a card on which is plainly written the Christian 
name together with the name he wishes to select, which 
he holds in his hand as he approaches the Bishop. No 
one can be confirmed without the consent of the priest 
in charge or without this card which the priest will 
give him. 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST. 

The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which contains 
the body and blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord and 
Savior, Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread 
and wine. He instituted this Sacrament in the evening 
of Holy Thursday, the night before He died, when He 
and the twelve Apostles were assembled at the last 
supper. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 33 

On this occasion He took bread^ blessed and broke 
it^ saying: ^^Take )^e and eat. This is my body/^ 
Then He took a cup of wine, blessed it and gave it to 
the Apostles, saying: ^^Drink ye all of this. This is 
my blood which shalLbe shed for the remission of sins. 
Do this for a commemoration of Me.^^ 

By the words, "Do this for a commemoration of 
Me/^ He gave his priests forever the power to change 
bread into His body and wine into His blood. This 
they do at the consecration of the Mass. The Holy 
Eucharist is a Sacrament in the form of Holy Com^ 
munion and a sacrifice in the Mass. (See The Mass.) 



THE MASS. 



The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the body and 
blood of Christ. It is the same action which our Lord 
performed when at his last supper He changed bread 
and wine into His body and blood, and offered them up 
to His heavenly Father. He celebrated the first Mass 
ever said on earth. He then ordered His Apostles and 
through them the priests of His Church to do the self 
same thing to the end of time. He issued this im- 
portant command: ^^Do this for a commemoration of 
Me.^^ The action of doing this, or the function of ful- 
filling this command, is known to us as the Mass. 

Our Lord at His last supper offered up His body 
and blood as an unbloody sacrifice; the Mass being the 
same action is likewise the unbloody sacrifice of His 
body and blood. But He did no more when He was 



34 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

crucified on Calvary^ except the manner was different. 
On Calvary He offered Himself np as a sacrifice to His 
Father by the real effusion of His blood and by His real 
death upon the cross. There is no actual effusion of 
blood nor real death in the Mass^ but these are not 
essential to the sacrifice. The separate consecration of 
the bread and wine in the Mass represents the death of 
our Lord in a mystical manner. Hence the crucifixion 
and the Mass are one and the same sacrifice, for they 
do not differ in essential points. The victim is the 
same, Christ Jesus; the priest is the same, also Christ 
our Lord ; and the ends are the same. We say the priest 
is the same, for though human ministers offer the 
sacrifice of the Mass, they consecrate not in their own 
but in the person of Christ. Invested with the char- 
acter of Christ, they change the substance of bread and 
wine into His real body and blood. 

Of all the blessings which our Lord has bequeathed 
to the world the Mass is the greatest and holiest, for it 
is an oblation of infinite value offered to God to honor 
and glorify Him, to praise and thank Him, to satisfy 
His divine justice, and to beseech Him to be kind and 
merciful and charitable towards us. ^Trom the rising 
of the sun even to the going down, there is offered to 
My name a clean oblation.^^ 



MANNER OF HEARING MASS. 

When present at Mass, we must remember that we 
are in the Temple of God and witnessing the Sacrifice 
of the Son of Man. We are in a sacred place and wit- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 35 

nessing a holy action. It is like being present at Cal- 
vary. Hence any levity, talking, whispering, gazing 
about, or unbecoming action is out of harmony with 
time and place. It is a time and place for prayer and 
thoughtful recollection. The prayer book and rosary 
beads should never be forgotten. 

There are various methods of hearing Mass. One 
is to follow the priest by saying the prayers in the 
prayer book, entitled ^^Ordinary of the Mass/^ or 
^Trayers at Mass.^^ These should be said slowly and 
devoutly even though we cannot finish each part in the 
time the priest finishes his. Another method is to read 
out of the prayer book any prayers we like. Every one 
has favorite prayers or devotions that are best suited to 
his needs. In this method the Kosary may be said, 
meditating carefully on the different mysteries. Still 
another method is a heart to heart talk with God. Com- 
pose your own prayers according to your needs^ speak to 
God as if He were present, as He is in the Sacrament 
of the Altar, take resolutions to do better, make acts of 
faith, hope, charity and contrition^ or meditate on the 
life and passion of our Lord. This is a difficult method. 
There are many things to distract the attention, and 
cause the mind to rove on foreign subjects. He who 
can do it, however, derives great spiritual benefit. 

Above all things, do not spend the time in church 
by idly gazing about, standing around the doors, kneel- 
ing on one knee in the aisles, never saying a prayer, 
last in and first out. 



36 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ATTENDANCE AT MASS. 

There is a specific law of the Church to the effect 
that Catholics must under the pain of grievous sin be 
present at Mass every Sunday and holy day of obliga- 
tion, except for very good and sufficient reasons. No 
vain excuse, nor trifling cause, nor passing incon- 
venience is to interfere with attendance. 

The one who does not go to Mass on these occasions 
has already drifted away from his Church, and the one 
who is lax about his duty in this regard becomes care- 
less, cold and indifferent in religious matters generally. 
While there is no obligation of going daily, there are 
many who can and should do so. Daily Mass is a great 
means for the acquisition of sanctity and holiness. But 
never be absent on Sundays and holy days of obligation. 
Be punctually on time, for you should be present at the 
whole of the Mass service, and those who are not present 
from the beginning to the end are not without fault. 
But you do not keep the precept and offend grievously 
if you omit a notable part of it, generally considered 
from the Offertory. In fulfilling the obligation of 
hearing Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, 
it is not permitted to hear parts of one Mass and parts 
of another, except one is present at the Consecration 
and Communion of one Mass. 



CONGREGATIONAL ATTITUDES. 

The congregation assume different attitudes or pos- 
tures during the several parts_ of divine services. The 
most common are kneeling, standing, sitting and genu- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 37 

fleeting. Eaeh has a significance that is in a manner 
expressive of the meaning of what is taking place. 

As a rule, the congregation kneel while adoring, 
praying or during solemn moments. They sit while 
listening, as when the epistle or a lesson is being read 
or when the priest is speaking. They stand when they 
are supposed to show a willingness to follow or obey or 
when receiving tidings of joy. Hence they stand dur- 
ing the reading of a gospel to show a willingness to 
follow its teachings and an appreciation of what it con- 
tains. St. Paul says: ^*^Stand^ therefore^ having your 
loins girt about with truth^ and having on the breast 
plate of justice, and your feet shod with the prepara- 
tion of the gospel of peace/^ Such an attitude shows 
a readiness to follow the gospel precepts or obey the 
word of God. 

Genuflecting is an act of worship or adoration. 
There are two kinds of genuflections/ the simple and 
the profound. The former is bending one knee till it 
touches the floor with a slight inclination of the head 
and shoulders; the latter is bending both knees to the 
floor with a profound inclination of the head and 
shoulders. 

The attitudes of the congregation required by the 
Church during religious exercises express a meaning in 
harmony with that particular part of the service. 



L 



38 CATHOLIC BELIEP AND PRACTICE. 

ATTITUDES AT LOW MASS. 

When we speak of a low Mass^ a high Mass or a 
solemn high Mass, we do not mean that they are sep- 
arate or different Masses designated by these terms. 
They are one and the same Mass, but celebrated in a 
different manner. In a low Mass all the parts are read 
and the ceremonies are simple. 

The congregation are supposed to kneel all the time 
during this Mass, except to stand during the gospels, 
but it is customary to observe the following, except 
where diocesan regulations prescribe otherwise: Stand 
when the priest comes into the sanctuary. Kneel when 
he comes to the -foot of the altar to begin Mass. 

Sit during the reading of the epistle, and while the 
priest is preaching or making announcements. Stand 
during the reading of the gospel and Credo. Genuflect 
at the ^^et incarnatus est'^ during the Credo. Sit dur- 
ing the offertory to the Sanctus. Kneel at the Sanctus 
and remain kneeling until the priest takes the second 
ablution. That will be after he has received Com- 
munion himself and given Communion to the people. 
At the first ring of the bell at the consecration, when 
the priest genuflects, bow the head reverently in adora- 
tion. Then as the priest elevates the Sacred Host, raise 
the head and look at the Sacred Host as it is being ele- 
vated and repeat the words : ^^My Lord and my God !'* 
An indulgence is attached to these words. During the 
rest of the consecration reverently bow the head in 
adoration. Strike the breast gently in a spirit of un- 
worthiness at the ^^Domine non sum dignus/^ Kneel 
when the priest gives the blessing. Stand during the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND TRACTICEL 39 

last gospel and genuflect at the words ^^et verbiim earo 
factum est/^ Kneel when the priest comes down to the 
foot of the altar to say the prayers after Mass and re- 
main kneeling until he has finished them and with- 
drawn from the sanctuary. 



ATTITUDES AT HIGH MASS. 

A high Mass is one in which some of the parts are 
sung by the priest and the choir takes part in the 
singing. 

Else when the priest comes into the sanctuary. 

Kneel when he sings the Asperges. 

Stand while the congregation are being sprinkled 
with holy water and remain standing until after the 
prayer which follows the Asperges is sung. 

Kneel when he commences Mass. 

Sit during the singing of the Kyrie if the priest 
is seated. 

Stand during the reading of the Gloria and sit dur- 
ing the singing of it by the choir if the priest is seated. 

Stand at the "Dominus vobiscum'^ after the Gloria 
and remain standing until after the prayer or prayers 
that follow. 

Sit during the reading if the epistle. 

Stand at the Gospel and until the Credo is said, 
genuflecting at the words ^^et incarnatus est/^ and sit 
while it is being sung by the choir if the priest is 
seated, kneeling at the words ^^et incarnatus est.'^ 

Sit while the priest is preaching or making the an- 
nouncements. 



'V.\^. 



iO CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Stand when the priest sings ^^Dominus vobiseum^^ 
after the Credo and remain so until he sings "Oremus/^ 

Sit until the priest sings "Per omnia saecula saecu- 
lorum.'^ 

Stand during the singing of the Preface. 

Kneel when the bell rings at the Sanetus and re- 
main kneeling until the second ablution after the priest 
receives Holy Communion, acting at the consecration in 
the same manner as at iow Mass^ and striking the breast 
at the "Domine, non sum dignus/^ 

Sit until the priest sings "Dominus vobiscum." 

Then stand until he has sung the prayer or prayers. 

Kneel at the blessing. 

Stand at the last Gospel and genuflect at the words 
"et verbum caro factum est.'^ At the end of the last 
Gospel all should kneel and remain kneeling until the 
priest has left the sanctuary. 



ATTITUDES AT SOLEMN HIGH MASS. 

A Mass is called solemn high when parts of it are 
sung by the celebrant and the choir take part in tlie 
singing, and the former is assisted by a deacon and sub- 
deacon. Two priests gen^^^ally act as deacon and sub- 
deacon. The ceremonies; are more elaborate than in 
other Masses. 

The same attitudes should be observed at a solemn 
high Mass as at a high Mass with the following excep- 
tions: The people do not stand while the celebrant is 
reading the Gospel but only when the deacon sings it. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 41 

They stand when they are being incensed at the ojffer- 
tory. 



ATTITXJDES AT REQUIEM MASSES. 

A requiem Mass is a Mass for the dead. Eequiem 
means rest in the sense of eternal rest with God in 
Heaven. There are special Masses for the dead and in 
saying them the celebrant always bears black vestments. 
When it is a low Mass the same attitudes are observed 
as at other low Masses. When it is a high Mass or 
solemn high Mass, the following should be observed: 

Kneel from the beginning to the epistle^ except you 
may sit while the choir sings the Kjrie if the priest 
is seated. 

Sit during the singing of the "Dies Irae^^ if the 
priest is seated. 

Stand during the Gospel. 

Sit at the Offertory till the priest sings "Per omnia 
saecula saeculorum.^^ 

Stand during the Preface. 

Kneel at the Sanctus and remain kneeling until the 
second ablution after the priest^s Communion, when 
j^ou sit. 

Kneel during the singing of the prayer or prayers. 

Stand at the last Gospel genuflecting at the words 
"et verbum caro factum est.'' 

Kneel at the end of the last Gospel and remain 
kneeling until the priest leaves the sanctuary or goes to 
the bench to vest for the "Libera'' or absolution for thq 
dead^ in case it is given, 



T7^^ 



■r-.-^^ 



42 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 

When the Libera or absolution is given you may sit 
while the priest vests or until he comes before the altar. 
Stand all during the Libera till the end. 
Sit during the sermon if there be one. 



CONDUCT IN CHURCH. 

The church is th^ house of God. It is an edifice 
dedicated to the worship of the Most High, and sancti- 
fied by the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. It is^ therefore^ a place where not only respect 
and reverence must be shown, but where humility and 
meekness should be the predominating influences of the 
heart. There should be no talking, whispering, noise, 
disturbance^ or any kind of misdemeanor. Silence 
should reign supreme and a devotional bearing be mani- 
fested by all. Gazing about, greeting acquaintances, 
holding conversation with them, endeavoring to attract 
attention, or doing anything unbecoming or that will 
cause distraction is entirely out of place. 

Always go forward and occupy a pew towards the 
front, provided the rights of pew holders are not in- 
fringed upon. Pews are reserved at certain services for 
the use of those who rent them, and it is unjust to per- 
sist in occupying them on these occasions. But when 
their rights are respected, it is best to go up towards the 
front. Those nearest the altar hear Mass the best. The 
custom of remaining around the doors or standing in the 
aisles when there are vacant pews to be occupied, is 
entirely improper. It causes inconvenience and is a 



CATHOUC BELIEF AND PRACTIOK 43 

source of annoyance to those who are coming into the 
church or leaving it. Besides it is discourteous. 

Those who offend in this manner seldom hear Mass 
properly. They stand and gaze about as unconcerned 
as if they were in a town hall. They never use a prayer 
book^ nor do they seem to possess a prayerful^ devotional 
spirit. People should not congregate around the doors, 
nor in the aisles, nor in the vestibule, congesting the 
passage ways and blocking the exits and entrances, to 
the great inconveniences of the cbngregation. Never 
be late to the services. Be punctually on time, and if 
present before the services begin, occupy the time by 
praying or reading the prayer book. 

Catholic people are distinguished the world over for 
the respect they show and the decorum they manifest in 
their churches, and these words are intended only for 
the few^ not for the many. When the church is regarded 
as the house of God and the dwelling place of our 
Lord in the Sacrament of the altar, and Catholics regard 
it as such, there is little likelihood of any frivolous or 
unbecoming conduct. 



USING THE PRAYER BOOK. 

A prayer book is a necessary companion at church. 
Everybody should have one while attending religious 
exercises and make use of it, especially at the Mass. In 
every prayer book will be found devotional reading suit- 
able to the wants and tastes of different classes of people. 
We should become familiar with the several parts so as 
to make them, in a way, our own. This is especially 



44 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

true of that part entitled the "Ordinary of the Mass/^ 
which is a translation of the different parts of the Mass, 
and by noting the accompanying explanations they can 
be followed along as the priest proceeds, each passage, 
psalm and prayer being read at the same time with him. 
By doing this the great Sacrifice of the altar will be 
more fully understood, more clearly apprehended and 
better appreciated. The fruits and graces will be cor- 
respondingly greater. Eead devoutly and slowly, even 
though you cannot finish reading the passage by the 
time the priest has finished the part to which it corres- 
ponds. 

To enter thoroughly into the spirit of the services, 
the prayer book is absolutely necessary at church. Al- 
ways have it with you. Do not be ashamed to carry it 
with you. Occupy your time in church by carefully 
reading its contents and try to enter into the meaning 
it conveys. IJany people come to church seemingly for 
no other purpose than to sit and gaze about. They do 
not pray, nor read, nor try to enter into the spirit of the 
mysteries of their religion. They sit or stand as cold 
and motionless as statues. While these fulfill in a per- 
functory maimer the obligation of hearing Mass, they 
derive but little benefit from their attendance. 

If for any reason the prayer book is not at hand, 
take out your rosary beads and say the Eosary carefully, 
meditating on the mysteries. Always carry your beads 
about your person. Keep them in your pocket at all 
times. Never be without them. Parents should see that 
their children come to church provided with these 
articles of devotion. How disedifying to see children 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 45 

sitting in the pews and staring at others, or standing 
around the doors or in the corners with their hands in 
their pockets ! Parents are largely accountable for such 
conduct. 



PASSING A CHURCH. 

It is customary among Catholics for men to raise 
their hats and women to slightly bow the head on pass- 
ing a church where the Blessed Sacrament is kept. This 
is done as a mark of reverence to our divine Lord. The 
church is His dwelling place. He remains there day 
and night as a prisoner in the tabernacle, not a prisoner 
against His will, but as a willing prisoner, or rather a 
prisoner of love. 

We have a friendly smile and a joyous greeting for 
our neighbor or friend, when we chance to meet him, 
but here is One who is better to us than any neighbor 
or friend or even kindred, and it is only reasonable and 
proper that we should manifest some external token or 
sign of reverence when we pass those temples wherein 
He resides. 



FUNERALS. 



The Church has the greatest solicitude for the dead. 
Her regard for them is shown in the loving benediction 
in which they are held and the prayers offered in their 
behalf. The solemn rites of her burial services are 
chanted for the repose of their souls, and their remains 
are placed in consecrated ground. To gather the dead 



*7r>-/.r*^^ 



i6 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 

close to her, it has long been customary when possible 
to have their last resting place around or near the church 
edifice. How significant is this custom of selecting the 
ground around the church for a cemetery ! The Church 
is watching over the dead. She gathers them close to 
her and is constantly praying for them. The people 
hear Mass on Sundays and then go out into the *^^church 
yard^^ and kneeling down by the little mounds pray for 
their departed friends and relatives. In cities^ espec- 
ially large ones^ this custom cannot be put in force. 

As the Sacrifice of the altar is most beneficial to the 
departed, it should, if in any way possible, be celebrated 
at the funerals of all adults or those who have reached 
the use of reason. Even the remains of little children 
who have not reached the age of reason should be 
brought to the church and funeral services held over 
them. The funeral services should take place from the 
parish church. Before announcing the time and place 
of these services the pastor must be seen and full ar- 
rangements made with him. 

If this be not done, serious inconvenience may result. 
There may be two funerals on the same day; the laws 
of the Church may forbid a Mass to be said on the day 
selected ; or the party to be buried, about to be placed in 
consecrated ground, must have a right to such a privi- 
lege. The privilege of receiving Catholic burial must 
be denied to those who die in infidelity, heresy or 
schism; to those who are excommunicated and die evi- 
dently impenitent; to those who, unless deprived of 
their reason^ take their own lives and die without re- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PBACTICE. 47 

penting; to those who die in a duel even though they 
repent before death; and also to unbaptized children. 

All others should be buried in a Catholic cemetery, 
if there be one in the place, otherwise they cannot be 
buried with the rites of their Churchy except in the case 
of a convert whose relatives have a lot in a non-Catholic 
cemetery and they wish to bury him in it^ and the same 
exception extends to Catholics who had a lot in a non- 
Catholic cemetery previous to 1853 or who have since 
acquired one without any intention of violating the 
ecclesiastical law. To determine who should receive 
Catholic burial, a permit must in all cases be issued by 
the pastor. 

When full arrangements have been made as to the 
time and manner of services, the funeral should be on 
hand punctually at the time specified. Funerals should 
not be held on Sundays or holy days of obligation^ if 
they can in any way be avoided. If held on such days, 
Mass cannot be said, except where there are many priests 
and the funeral Mass will not in any way interfere with 
the Masses for the people. Such a thing can rarely 
happen in our churches. 

The casket should not be opened in the church. 
Regalia of societies forbidden by the Church should not 
be worn. It is against the spirit of the Church to 
decorate the casket with flowers. Simplicity and rever- 
ence are recommended instead of expensive outlay or 
extravagant show. 



48 CATHOLIC BELIEF AXD PRACTICE. 

ANNIVERSARIES. 

An anniversary is the yearly occurrence of a certain 
event. It also applies to the annual celebration held 
in memory of the event. It is, however, used here in a 
more restricted sense and means what is done for a 
deceased person on the yearly recurrence of the day of 
his death. It is a mile-stone reminding us of our duty 
to pray for the departed. On such an occasion the 
Church encourages the faithful to have the divine Sacri- 
fice of the Mass offered up for the repose of their souls. 

There is a special anniversary Mass and it is always 
said in black vestments on such an occasion, provided 
the rubrics will allow it. Whether it can be said or not 
depends upon the excellency of the feast celebrated that 
day. The saints have feast days, and these are so 
numerous that they take up almost every day of the year, 
though not exclusively. Some of them are more import- 
ant than others, and when the feast is not considered of 
great importance, relatively speaking, for everything 
that pertains to the saints of God^s kingdom is import; 
ant, the Mass of that day can be omitted and the priest 
is free to select one of his choice. By this is not meant 
that there is an entirely different Mass for every day of 
the year. Its essential parts are always the same. Only 
minor parts are different for each Mass, such as the 
prayers, the epistle, gospel, etc. 

The priest will always say the anniversary Mass if 
he is allowed to do so by the rubrics, but if he cannot 
do this he can offer up the regular Mass of the day for 
the departed, no matter what color of vestments he 
wears. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 49 

From the very tieginning the Church has recom- 
mended a high or solemn high Mass for the dead, not 
only on the day of the funeral, but also on the third, 
seventh and thirtieth day thereafter, as well as on the 
anniversary. The Christian name of the deceased is 
inserted in the prayers of the Mass said at the funeral 
and on the third, seventh and thirtieth day. Here, then, 
is a recommendation as well as the constant practice of 
tlie Church that must have sound reasons to commend 
it. The Church teaches that the Sacrifice of the altar 
is of infinite value and can satisfy not only for the sins 
of one soul, but for the sins of all mankind, and can 
deliver not one soul, but all the souls in Purgatory. 
But she knows, too, that God in His inscrutable wis- 
dom applies the fruit of the Mass only according to our 
dispositions^ to the dispositions of the souls for whom 
it is offered and the circumstances which He in his in- 
finite wisdom alone can understand. Yet the Church 
requires these solemn Masses, and thereby proclaims at 
least implicitly that these services and ceremonies and 
additional splendor of exterior worship have a value 
apart, independent of the value of the Sacrifice which 
honors the majesty of God and redounds to His greater 
glory. 

We should be careful, therefore, to remember the 
anniversaries of those who were near and dear to us. 
It is a Christian duty. We can help the departed in no 
other way than by praying for them and by our good 
works, and the most efficacious means of rendering them 
assistance is the Holy Mass, where Jesus is sacrificed for 
the sins of the world. 



V^F^'if^' 



50 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

''THE MONTH'S MIND/' 

By the ^^month^s mind^^ is understood what is done 
for a deceased person on the thirtieth day from his 
death. It is the monthly remembrance of the departed. 
The same Mass is said as at the funeral^ except the 
prayers are different. The Christian name of the de- 
ceased is inserted in these prayers. 

The Church recommends the solemn services of re- 
ligion on such an occasion^ as also on the third and 
seventh day, as well as on the anniversary. A high 
Mass should be offered up if it is in any way possible. 
The more solemn the services of religion, the more is 
God thereby honored. Moreover, the time is favorable 
for ardent prayer. It is not too close to death to cause 
distraction by its necessary accompaniments, nor yet so 
far away as to cool the ardor of love. We are possibly 
better prepared to pray at the end of a month than at 
any other time. Do not neglect this favorable oppor- 
tunity. 



VESTMENTS. 



While celebrating Mass, the priest is clothed with 
amice, alb, cincture, stole, maniple and chasuble. These 
articles of dress are called vestments. They have been 
used in celebrating Mass since early times and their 
exclusiveness for this purpose makes them sacred in the 
eyes of Catholics. Besides this exclusiveness there is a 
becomingness in them and a s)nnbolism attached to them 
that make them most appropriate in celebrating the 
mysteries of religion. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 51 

The amice is a white linen cloth worn about the 
shoulders and neck. It symbolizes "the helmet of salva- 
tion/^ The alb is a large white garment covering the 
person from the neck to the feet, and is typical of purity. 
This garment is held in place by a cincture or cord 
about the waist. It is made to represent the rope by 
which our Savior was led to execution. The maniple 
is a piece of linen cloth suspended to the priest^s left 
arm, and is made to represent the cord with which our 
Savior^s hands were bound. The stole is a long piece 
of cloth which is passed over the shoulders and rests on 
the breast in the form of a cross. In this connection 
it is symbolical of the yoke of Christ. The chasuble is 
the large outer garment which is generally considered 
to symbolize charity. The cross woven into it puts us 
in mind of Christ carrying the cross. 

The maniple, stole and chasuble worn by the priest 
must be of the same color, but sets of these vestments 
are made in different colors to suit varying occasions. 
There is a becomingness in the colors of the garments 
worn at the altar. This follows from the establishment 
of festivals or ^^feast days,^^ on which saints^ mysteries 
or events of a religious character are commemorated. 
The Church commemorates by requiring the priest to say 
a particular Mass that day and his Office in honor of the 
saint^ mystery or particular event^ and in some cases by 
requiring the people to rest from labor and attend 
religious services. Nearly every day of the year is taken 
up by these feasts, and the color of the vestments is 
prescribed accordingly and marked in a small book 
known as the "Ordo.'^ White is used for the joyous 



'-v^rjs^f^^ 



52 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

mysteries of our Lord and the festivals of the Blessed 
Virgin and the saints who were not martyred. Eed is 
used on Whitsunday and the festivals of the martyrs 
which indicate the shedding of blood and the ardor of 
charity. Green is used when the office is known as a 
^^feria/^ that is, no special feast is held. Violet is used 
in seasons of repentance and black for the dead. 

Feasts are arranged according to their excellency. 
Some are relatively more important than others. If a 
feast is not of great importance, relatively speaking, it 
is marked ^^simplex/^ and on such days the priest is 
allowed to omit the Mass of that day and select one of 
his own choice. If he is to offer up the Mass for the 
dead, he will mostly select the Mass for the dead and 
wear black. If he is not free to select such a Mass, he 
can always and on every day of the year offer up for 
the dead any Mass^ no matter what the color of the 
vestments may be. Of course he will mostly select the 
Mass for the dead if he can. 

Special privileges are granted for funerals, anni- 
versaries and such like occasions, but generally the 
above rules prevail. 



HOLY COMMUNION. 

Holy Communion is receiving the Holy Eucharist 
or the body and blood of our Lrord, under the appear- 
ance of bread and wine. Two things are necessary to 
receive it worthily, namely, to be in a state of sanctify- 
ing grace^ (which means the souFs freedom from mortal 
sin), and to be fasting from midnight. Persons in dan* 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 53 

ger of death are not required to fast. Anything taken 
in the form of food or drink, medicine included, will 
break the fast. Water taken into the mouth for cleans- 
ing purposes, either to rinse the mouth or clean the 
teeth, and not swallowed, does not break the fast. Ac- 
cording to a recent decree, persons who are sick for a 
month without hope of speedy recovery, may, with the 
consent of their confessor, receive Holy Communion once 
or twice a month after partaking of some liquid food 
(per modum potus). The same privilege is extended 
to religious who dwell in houses where the Blessed 
Sacrament is kept or where the privilege of saying Mass 
is enjoyed. Such religious when sick for a month with- 
out hope of speedy recovery, may, with the consent of 
their confessor, receive Holy Communion once or twice 
a week after breaking the fast as above stated. 

Confession is necessary when we are guilty of any 
offense we may think is mortal. But no one should go 
to Communion without confession, or at least getting 
permission from their confessor. Those who go fre- 
quently and especially when feast days or notable occa- 
sions come closely together, may easily get such permis- 
sion. While we receive Holy Communion worthily when 
free from mortal sin, we more worthily receive it and 
are recipients of a greater abundance of divine favors 
when we are free from venial sin and all affection for 
sin. The purer the soul, the more abundant the fruits. 

Some time should be spent in prayer, about fifteen 
minutes, before receiving. The dress should be becom- 
ing the excellency of the Sacrament. But never stay 
away from the altar because circumstances prevent you 



Tm 



54 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

from dressing as well as others more^ fortunate in 
worldly affairs. 

Go up to the altar rail to receive Holy Communion 
when the bell rings three times at the "JDomine, non 
sum dignus/^ Fold your hands before your breast and 
cast the eyes downward. Do not genuflect at the pew, 
but wait until you come to the altar rail. Observe the 
same on returning. If a society or class go in a body, 
be careful not to break their ranks. Many will break 
through their ranks causing great disorder. Kneel at 
the center of the rail, unless it is occupied by others. 
This prevents the priest going from one end of the 
rail to another to accommodate one or two. 

Do not receive Holy Communion if j^ou get sick in 
the church, especially if the stomach is disturbed. If 
Holy Communion is given before Mass to accommodate 
a few, do not receive if it is possible to wait for the 
Mass. 

The Holy Father urges the faithful to receive Com- 
munion frequently and daily, as the most effective 
means to acquire holiness and sanctity. 



RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION. 

When the priest, turning towards the congregation, 
elevates the Sacred Host, and says "Domine, non sum 
dignus,^^ repeat, rather from the heart than from the 
lips, the following words which are an English transla- 
tion of the same: ^^Lord, I am not worthy that thou 
should enter under my roof, but say only the word, and 



mm 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 55 

my soul shall be healed/^ Then with sentiments of pro- 
found faith, kneel close to the rail, take the communion 
cloth or card in both hands so as to be extended hori- 
zontally under the chin^ and with head erect and eyes 
modestly cast down, receive the Sacred Host from the 
hands of the priest. Endeavor to swallow it as soon as 
possible without touching it with the teeth or fingers. 
If a communion card is used, and no altar boy is hold- 
ing it, pass it as soon as you have received to the next 
one at your left. If an altar boy is holding it, keep 
your hands joined together. 

The idea of an altar cloth or card is to prevent the 
Sacred Host, or any particles, from falling on the floor, 
and so it should be held in a position with this end in 
view. 

If other communicants are still coming, and need to 
occupy your place, retire shortly after receiving, and 
make room for them ; otherwise, you may remain at the 
rail until the priest closes the tabernacle, or if it be 
outside of Mass, until he gives the blessing. 

Do not pitch the head forward after receiving, but 
lower it gently. The communion cloth should not be 
kissed or pressed to the lips. 



AFTER HOLY COMMUNION. 

When you have left the communion rail, make a 
simple genuflection on the floor, and retire to your pew. 
There is no need to make another genuflection at the 
pew. Now your thanksgiving begins, Remember you 



"^3^15^ 



56 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

are entertaining your divine Savior. You should first 
begin by adoration, then pass to thanksgiving, then ask- 
ing him for any special benefits you may need. 

This thanksgiving should last for at least fifteen 
minutes after receiving. If you cannot make it in your 
own words, take up the prayer book and read the 
prayers entitled "Prayers After Communion.^^ During 
this time you should be most recollected, allowing noth- 
ing to distract you or ^:o cause the mind to wander. Try 
to realize you are entertaining your God. 

Do not expectorate or leave the church for fifteen 
minutes after receiving. It is great irreverence to the 
Holy Sacrament to immediately leave the church. It 
is even sometimes too soon to leave after Mass, though 
it depends upon the number of communicants. If there 
are a large number and you are among the first, suffi- 
cient time will have elapsed before Mass is ended. The 
general rule is to spend fifteen minutes in thanksgiving, 
whether Mass is ended or not. 

A most salutary prayer is the following of St. 
Ignatius : 

Soul of Christ, sanctify me ! 

Body of Christ, save me ! 

Blood of Christ, inebriate me ! 

Water flowing from the side of Christ, cleanse me ! 

Passion of Christ, strengthen me ! 

0, good Jesus, hear me ! 

In thy holy wounds, conceal me ! 

And let me not be separated from thee ! 

From the wicked enemy, defend me! 

In the hour of death, call me ! 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 57 

And bid me, Lord, to come to thee ! 

That with thy saints and angels I may praise thee ! 

Throughout the ages of eternity. Amen. 



FIRST HOLY COMMUNION. 

The reception of Holy Communion for the first time 
is a most important event in a child^s life. From it 
accrue benefits that are priceless, and around it are 
thrown memories that are cherished throughout life. It 
is a supreme moment for the child. 

It is well to make it as solemn and effective as pos- 
sible, and parents should co-operate with the clergy to 
this end. Nothing should be left undone to impress 
upon the child's mind the meaning and excellency of 
the Sacrament which contains the body and blood of 
the Savior of the world. 

There is no exact age that children must attain be- 
fore being admitted to first Communion, but it is gen- 
erally between the years of ten and twelve. They should 
be well instructed in the rudiments of their faith. 
Hence they must know the Catechism well. So neces- 
sary is it for them to be thoroughly well versed in it 
that they ought to begin to learn it from their earliest 
years. This can be easily done if they are sent to a 
Catholic school. Where there is no Catholic school they 
ought to be sent to Sunday school. The latter, however, 
is wholly inadequate for proper religious training. 

Besides such remote preparation, there is always a 
proximate preparation, consisting of special instructions 



ii^r-i- 



58 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

in the Catechism. Children of proper age are organized 
into a class which is held daily until the date of first 
Communion. When the formation of the class is an- 
nounced^ parents are in conscience bound to see that the 
children who should make their first Communion join 
it at once. They are also in duty bound to see that they 
come regularly^ and to familiarize themselves with the 
progress made. This can be done by hearing them 
recite their lessons^ re^'lewing occasionally what has been 
gone over^ or if need be, inquiring of the priest in 
charge. More solicitude should be shown both on the 
part of the child and parents as the day of Communion 
approaches. If a child does not know its Catechism, 
the priest may be obliged to fulfill the painful obligation 
of postponing the date of first Communion for another 
year. It is very important to put nothing in the way 
of the child^s regular attendance at class. A very little 
thing will be seized upon as an excuse for absence. All 
pretexts should be removed, and the child encouraged 
in every way possible. 

Not only must the child be instructed in its faith, 
but it should endeavor during this time of preparation 
to become good and virtuous and holy by being more 
devout in its religious exercises, more obedient to 
superiors, more charitable, and especially more per- 
sistent in eradicating any bad habits or disagreeable 
traits of character. 

Children should be dressed well as becomes the 
excellency of the Sacrament, but not for display or 
show. Such would cause pride and vanity. All should 
conform to the regulations prescribed, so there will be 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 59 

no distinction^ — the girls dressed in white with wreath 
and veil^ and the boj^s in a becoming suit of black. If 
the child's worldly circumstances are such that it can- 
not comply with the regulations, the fact should be 
made known to the pastor. 

A retreat or triduum of three days immediately pre- 
ceding the day of the first Communion is generally 
made. These are precious days during which the child 
makes special preparation by prayer and religious exer- 
cises to receive its Lord and Master. Much depends 
upon this retreat. Here parents and other members of 
the household can be great helps towards its success. 
During these days they should do nothing to disturb the 
atmosphere of quiet and holy calm that surrounds the 
child. There should be no entertainments nor parties 
nor any levity nor useless conversation^ nor should the 
child be asked to do anything that would cause distrac- 
tion or be subjected to anything that will arouse ill- 
feeling. A retreat is a time of prayer and solitude. 

Every child should be provided with a prayer book 
and rosary beads for first Communion. Enrollment in 
the scapular generally follows, and in this case a pair 
of scapulars must be provided. 

Children and parents are not to infer that when first 
Communion is made the Catechism is to be left aside. 
They should continue to study for at least a year or two 
afterwards. And they should not neglect to receive the 
Holy Sacrament frequently. To receive once a month 
is a splendid practice. The best means to insure monthly 
Communion for the children is to have them join the 
sodalities specially designated for them, namely, the 



60 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Children of Mary for the girls, and St. Aloysius' So- 
dality for the boys. 



EASTER DUTY, 



According to the laws of the Church, Catholics are 
obliged under the pain of grievous sin, to go to con- 
fession at least once a year and receive Holy Com- 
munion each year durilig the Easter time. In this coun- 
try that time is from the first Sunday in Lent to Trinity 
Sunday, both included. As the season of Lent and the 
feast of the Holy Trinity are both movable, the precise 
date cannot be given^ but every one knows when Lent 
comes, and Trinity Sunday falls in May or June. The 
period is amply sufficient to suit all classes. Their exact 
dates are generally announced in all churches. 

The law of going to Communion once a year is very 
important and urgent. Complying with it is called 
making one^s '^'^Easter duty.^^ It binds all persons with- 
out distinction, who have made their first Communion 
and are of sound mind. Even the sick and infirm are 
not exempt. The Blessed Sacrament must be brought 
to them. They must notify the priest so he can bring 
them Holy Communion in their homes. The duty of 
notifying him rests with the sick or their friends or 
relatives. It is not necessary that the sick or infirm be 
in danger of death. It suffices that either on account 
of their sickness or infirmity or the decrepitude of old 
age, they are unable to come to the church. Notice 
should be given the priest in ample time, ^d: not put 
off till the last moment. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 61 

The law does not require a person to go to Holy 
Communion on Easter Sunday, but it is a most excel- 
lent practice to receive on that day or on Holy Thurs- 
day. Neither is there any obligation of receiving the 
Blessed Sacrament on Christmas^ but here again the 
practice of doing so is most salutary and beneficial. An 
earnest effort should, therefore, be made to approach the 
communion table on the great religious festivals of 
Christmas and Easter. Every Catholic should wilfully 
and cheerfully fulfill his obligation in this regard, and 
should not postpone it to the last day. 



ADORATION OP THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

Supreme adoration must be given to the Blessed 
Sacrament, because it contains God. By the Blessed 
Sacrament is meant the consecrated bread. It is kept 
in the tabernacle of the altar. A light, called the sanc- 
tuary light, is always burning before it or by the side 
of it. 

Because supreme adoration must be given to the 
Blessed Sacrament, Catholics genuflect when coming 
into its presence, when leaving its presence, or passing 
before the altar where it is kept. There are two kinds 
of genuflections, namely, the simple and the profound. 
The former is bending one knee till it touches the floor 
with a slight inclination of the head and shoulders, the 
latter is bending both knees to the floor with a profound 
inclination of the head and shoulders. 

The principle to be followed in determining which 



'i^''7»' 



62 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

genuflection to make is that the simple one is made 
when the Blessed Sacrament is not exposed to view, as 
when it is preserved in the tabernacle; the profound 
genuflection is made where the Blessed Sacrament is 
exposed to view^ as at the Forty Hours^ Adoration^ dur- 
ing Benediction^ or when it is carried in procession. 
Those^ however, who receive Holy Communion need 
make but a simple genuflection when coming to and 
leaving the altar rail. ' 

By coming into the presence of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment is generally meant coming into the churchy chapel 
or place where it is kept. It is not necessary to make 
the genuflection at the door, but at the pew or place to 
be occupied. If you go up to the altar or altar-rail^ do 
not genuflect at the pew, but wait till you arrive at the 
altar or altar-rail; when returning genuflect at the altar 
or altar-rail, and not at the pew. 

By leaving the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is 
generally meant leaving the church, chapel or place 
where it is kept. Make the genuflection just as you 
depart, in the pew or by the pew. It may cause serious 
inconvenience to others to genuflect at the door, either 
coming in or going out. 

By passing before the Blessed Sacrament is meant 
passing before the altar where it is kept, or crossing 
from one side of the church to the other. In such cases 
a simple genuflection should be made before the altar. 
Every one in the church should kneel when the Blessed 
Sacrament is carried from one place to another or in 
procession. This is notably true on Holy Thursday and 
at the Forty Hours^ Adoration. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 63 

THE SACRAMENTS OF THE SICK. 

When the priest arrives to administer the sacraments 
to the sick or dying, if you perceive he has the Sacred 
Host, kneel down in adoration to it. It would be better 
to have some one meet him with a lighted candle at the 
door. Do not begin to talk in a noisy or familiar man- 
ner, but let somebody show the way to the sickroom, and 
the rest follow in silence and in a spirit of adoration. 
If it is necessary to speak, let it be done in a low and 
reverential manner. If the confession of the sick per- 
son is to be heard, as is generally the case, upon a sig- 
nal from the priest, all should withdraw from the room. 
When his confession is heard, all should come back to 
the room again, or if the room be small, in the adjoin- 
ing rooms, and remain kneeling until the sacraments 
are administered. 

It does not look well to have the priest give the 
last rites of religion to the sick, especially Holy Com- 
munion, while some of the members of the family are 
talking, doing their ordinary work, or running about 
the house. All should be present in the sick chamber, 
if circumstances permit, in a prayerful and reverential 
attitude. 

After the sacraments are given, do not remain to 
distract the sick person by carrying on a conversation, 
or walking about the room, but leave him alone to make 
his thanksgiving in quiet. Sometimes, however, espe- 
cially when he is very feeble or unable to read, it is 
better for some one to be with him, before and after 



■ .■•yyf7^:P^^y<r^ 



64 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Comiriunion, and read for him slowly and distinctly 
shorty necessary prayers. 



SICK CALLS. 



A ^^sick calP^ means sending for the priest to attend 
to the religious needs of the sick or dying. Those who 
are in poor health ate thus given an opportunity to 
comply with their religious obligations^ and the dying 
to receive the last consolations of their religion. The 
sick generally have their confession heard and receive 
Holy Communion if they so desire. The dying in addi- 
tion to confession^ are anointed with holy oil, receive 
Holy Communion under the form of the Viaticum, and 
are given the last blessing and plenary indulgence. 
These are what are commonly called the ^^last sacra- 
ments.^^ The importance attached to these calls is so 
great that in most parishes, a priest is always assigned 
to such work. 

When there is danger of death, and many diseases 
are always dangerous, notify the priest at once. Do 
not wait till the evening. Do not call at night, unless 
there is danger in delay. Do not send a child, if it 
can be avoided. A grown person, is better to send. It 
is always best to inform the sick person of the priest's 
coming^ but this should be done cautiously, at least in 
some cases. He can then prepare himself. The one 
who is not prepared receives the sacraments in a per- 
functory manner and does not derive so much fruit 
from them. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 65 

The one calling for the priest should be able to give 
the sick person^s name and address, his age and condi- 
tion, also to state whether he has been attended before, 
and what sacraments he has received, if any, and when. 
It is likewise important for the priest to know whether 
he is conscious, and, if attended by a physician, what 
in his opinion of the sick man^s condition. 

No one should speak to the priest when he is going 
on a sick call, unless the latter begins the conversation. 
He may be carrying the Blessed Sacrament. 

It is not necessary to bless them or call the priest 
for infants if they are baptized, unless to read some 
prayers over them. But it is necessary if they have 
attained the use of reason, that is, about the age of 
seven or sometimes younger. 



ADVICE TO THE SICK. 

When sickness comes upon you, it should be received 
as from the hands of God with the same disposition 
that prompted our Lord to receive the bitter cup of 
suffering from the hands of His heavenly Father. Say 
with Him : ''Not my will, but thine be done.'' In this 
way your will is united to the divine will. Pray for 
resignation, patience and courage. 

In sickness, the first consideration should be the 
souPs salvation. Seek to reconcile yourself to God in 
good time by a sincere and contrite confession, and if 
your confessor approves, a general one. Above all 
thixtgs do riof'delay until the sickness becomes so severe 



66 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

as to exclude proper dispositions. Such is often the 
case. The disease gets such a hold that the mind does 
not think, except in a confused and disconnected man- 
ner, and the heart is not moved. The disease may 
reach such a degree of intensity as to make a good con- 
fession very difficult or impossible. 

Eeceive Holy Communion as most beneficial to soul 
and body, and as the best support on your way to eter- 
nity. Welcome your Savior as your best friend and 
helper. Many think Extreme Unction necessarily means 
death. • It does not. It means danger^ but to receive it 
does not imply that you are going to die. It may mean 
that you are going to live, for the Church expressly 
teaches that it may be instrumental in restoring the 
body to healthy if God sees fit, and especially if He sees 
that such restored health will be good for the souFs 
salvation. But apart from such a great natural bless- 
ing, this Sacrament certainly purifies the soul from sin 
and strengthens it for the last conflict. 

This does not imply that you are not to make use of 
a physician and of his remedies. Nor does it mean that 
you are not to arrange your temporal affairs. But it 
signifies that in sickness where there is the least danger, 
the souFs welfare should be your first concern. 

During your sickness you should carefully review 
your past life, and if anything troubles your conscience, 
send again for your confessor^ so that nothing may be 
left undone. If you are not able to say long prayers, 
repeat short ejaculations or say the Eosary or think of 
the sufferings of Christ. Always have the rosary and 
a crucifix at hand. Care not what other people say or 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 67 

think. You are preparing for the long, last journey, 
upon which so much depends. Ask the saints, to whom 
you had a liking in life, to pray for you in death. 

If your sickness is of long duration, ask your con- 
fessor to visit you frequently, and to bring you from 
time to time Holy Communion. 



PREPARATION OP THE SICK. 

The ravages of disease on the human system is per- 
mitted by God. When sickness comes^ we should take 
it as coming from the hands of our heavenly Father, 
and bear it in a spirit of humility and penance. There 
is no period of life when we can merit more than in 
times of sickness, if we have the proper spirit. 

When sick persons are to receive the sacraments, 
they should be well prepared. It is an easy matter when 
there is no fear of death. In this case spend as much 
time as possible in devotional exercises, be in readiness 
to make your confession, and be prepared if Com- 
munion is to be given. Under certain conditions, sick 
persons may receive Holy Communion when not fast- 
ing, provided their confessor allows them to do so. 
(See Holy Communion.) After Communion spend 
some time in thanksgiving. 

When there is danger of death^ it is a more serious 
affair. The priest should be sent for without delay, 
and the sick person informed of his coming, so he can 
duly prepare himself for the reception of the last sacra- 
ments, that is. Extreme Unction and the Viaticum. He 



\s- ^?s 



68 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

can also dispose himself for receiving the last blessing. 
This information about the priest^s coming should be 
imparted prudently and cautiously^ especially in cer- 
tain forms of sickness. He should endeavor not to get 
excited^ nor think that the last sacraments necessarily 
mean death. On the contrary they may, if God sees fit^ 
be a powerful assistance in curing bodily ills; and in 
case it be God^s will that death must come, they will 
most certainly strengthen and purify the soul/ and give 
it courage and fortitude in the last moments upon which 
so much depends. Therefore, prepare for them as well 
as possible, by examining your conscience carefully, en- 
tertaining lively sentiments of faith, hope, love and 
contrition, uniting your will to the divine will and 
offering up your sickness as a penance for the sins of 
your past life. You should resolve that should you be 
restored to health, you will serve God more faithfully. 
The prayers in an ordinary prayer book will be a great 
help in this preparation. 

If the sick person is too weak to prepare himself, 
some one should assist him by slowly reading the 
prayers for him in a calm, low voice. There is no 
excuse for those around him getting excited, crowding 
the room^ or by their conduct and actions causing him 
to become confused and distracted. Let them bend all 
their efforts in a quiet, determined manner towards as- 
sisting him in every possible way to a most worthy 
reception of the sacraments. Those in danger of death 
need not be fasting to receive the Viaticum. 

Bequest the priest to call again, and in the mean 
time, many things may come to your mind which' 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 69 

should be made matter of confession^ and if your sick- 
ness runs through many days and weeks, request him 
to bring you Communion occasionally, but he is to 
judge how often. 



ARRANGING THE SICK ROOM. 

When the priest has been called to give Communion 
to the sick or administer the last sacraments to the 
dying, care should be taken to have everything rightly 
arranged in the sick room. 

In the first place it should be clean^ and ever5rthing 
offensive taken away. There should be no clothing 
lying scattered about, but neatly folded up and put 
away. The sick person should be decently covered, and 
the bed clothing arranged in good order. All useless 
and unsightly objects should be removed. 

There are some necessary articles which should be 
in the sick room when the priest arrives. These are the 
following: A small table neatly covered with a white 
linen cloth; on the table two candles in candlesticks, a 
crucifix, a glass of fresh water and a spoon, holy water 
in a vase or cruet, and a clean, white napkin to serve as 
a communion cloth. The above articles are needed for 
Holy Communion or the Viaticum^ but if Extreme 
Fnction is to be administered, besides the above arti- 
cles, there is still further need of some cotton on a 
plate, together with a bowl of water and a towel for the 
cleansing of the priest's fingers after the unctions. 



70 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

HELPING THE DYING. 

No moments are so supreme as the last moments 
of life; no journey is so great as the journey to eternity. 
The Church wishes the dying to receive all the spiritual 
help that she can give them. Through her representa- 
tive, the priest^ she forgives, encourages and strengthens 
those vrho are about to die. The priest should be sent 
for in good time in order ihat the last sacraments may 
be administered. 

When it is clear that death is inevitable, if the sick 
person is in any way able^ he should occupy himself 
entirely with his God, abandoning himself to His divine 
will, having absolute confidence in His great mercy, and 
making short, fervent acts of faith, hope, love and sor- 
row for his sins. If through physical exhaustion or 
want of mental concentration, he be unable to engage 
in prayer^ some one should help him by either sug- 
gesting prayers or reading them for him in a slow, 
quiet, distinct manner, and asking- him to follow in 
mind and heart. The prayers read should be in refer- 
ence to faith, hope, love of God, and sorrow for sin. 
If he indicates that there is anything on his conscience, 
let the priest be sent for again. 

Those in the death chamber should try to control 
their emotions^ allay excitement and calm their feelings. 
They should bend all their efforts in a quiet, deter- 
mined manner towards giving the dying all the relig- 
ious assistance in their power. The room should not be 
crowded, anything that may distract should be removed, 
or any person that may bring up evil memories should 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AIsTH PRACTICE. 71 

be excluded. The room should be quiet and religious, 
the attendants prayerful and in earnest. If there be 
time these preparations should not be left to the last 
moment. Have holy water, a blessed candle and a cru- 
cifix in the room. Have the prayer book at hand, and 
be familiar with the necessary prayers. 

If the dying can pray, encourage him to do so by 
suggesting prayers and aspirations; if he cannot, then 
pray for him and try to make him follow in mind. 

When you think the end is drawing near, put the 
blessed candle in his hand, adjust the crucifix so he can 
see it, if possible, sprinkle him and the room with holy 
water, and, kneeling down, begin the prayers of the 
dying. They can be found in most prayer books. If 
he cannot hold the candle^ let some one hold it in his 
hands for him. Eepeat to him, especially at the last 
moment, short invocations, such as, ^^Jesus, Mary, 
Joseph,^^ ^^My Jesus^ Mercy/^ ^Tord, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit,^' etc. If the agony last long, repeat 
the prayers of the dying or say the Rosary. Watch and 
pray until the end. 



EXTREME UNCTION. 

Extreme Unction is the Sacrament of the dying. It 
is administered to those who are in danger of death 
from sickness, a wound or an accident. It remits sin, 
cleanses the soul from the remains of sin, and gives 
strength to the soul in that last hour when the faculties 
have become extremely weak, and human nature has 
lost its power to resist. Should God see fit, it may be 
instrumental in restoring the sick to health. 



72 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 

Persons dangerously ill are obliged to bQ anointed 
if there is any possibility of getting a priest. They 
should not delay too long in sending for one^ for they 
may lose the use of reason^ or the severity of their sick- 
ness may prevent them from making a good confession 
or receiving the Viaticum with proper dispositions. As 
soon as there is evidence of a reasonable danger of death 
the priest should be sent for at once. The sick perso* 
is not always competent to pass judgment upon his con- 
dition. A Catholic doctor or nurse or friends or rela- 
tives are the best judges. Extreme Unction must be 
administered by the pastor or one of the assistant pas- 
tors of the parish in which the sick person lives, except 
in case of necessity or . when permission has been 
granted. 

It frequently happens that, aside from the super- 
natural strength imparted to the soul by this Sacra- 
ment, the natural results accruing from its reception 
are very great. It brings composure of mind and 
easiness of conscience, and a will to accept the inevit- 
able, which are very helpful in sickness. 



THE VIATICUM. 



The Viaticum is Holy Communion given to the dy- 
ing. It is given just as Holy Communion is given, 
except that the priest in administering it uses slightly 
different words. Everything in the sick room should 
be prepared just as for Holy Communion. The sick 
person^ before receiving, should have gone to confession, 
or at least should be in a state of grace, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 73 

It is not necessary to be fasting to receive the 
Viaticmn worthily. If the patient can just as well fast, 
it, is advisable to do so, but there is no obligation what- 
ever in that regard. The Church permits this on ac- 
count of it being so difficult for the sick and dying to 
fast, and on account of the vast number who otherwise 
would die without the graces and comforts of that 
divine Sacrament. 

Holy Viaticum is administered only to those who 
are in danger of death, and who in other respects are 
in a fit condition to receive it. They cannot receive it 
if they are unable to swallow the Sacred Host, or if 
they are vomiting. 

No matter how sick a person is, if there is no rea- 
sonable danger of death, the Viaticum cannot be ad- 
ministered. Who is the judge as to the reality of the 
danger? The priest is the judge. If he is in doubt, 
he may consult the attending physician, but it is not 
necessary to have expert medical advice. 

It is a great injustice to the sick to delay too long 
to call the priest, for there is always a possibility of the 
patient lapsing into unconsciousness, or of becoming so 
distressed and weakened in mind as not to fully realize 
the meaning of the Holy Sacrament he is receiving. 

Holy Viaticum may be received more than once 
during the same sickness, but usually not oftener than 
once a week, although there may be circumstances in 
which it can be administered daily. It is understood, 
however, that the dangerous character of the sickness 
still continues. 

Viaticum means literally something to support, 



74 CATHOUC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

assist, or comfort on a journey. The dying soul is 
about to start on a long journey. It is going to its 
everlasting home. It must pass through the narijpw 
gate of death and on into eternity. There are dangers 
in the moment of death beyond what any one can easily 
imagine. At no time in life is the soul tried so severely 
as in the instant of parting. A hard and long journey 
is death to the poor soul, and Christ Jesus in His love 
and mercy wants to be' near us at that time. He wants 
to be with us and not to leave us till we have safely 
reached home. He wants to take us by the hand and 
lead us home, and hence He seeks us out and comes to 
us in our dying moments in the Holy Viaticum. 



THE LAST BLESSING. 

A last blessing to which is attached a plenary indul- 
gence is given to those who are about to die. The priest 
has the power to give such a solemn blessing, and grant 
to those who have the proper dispositions a full dis- 
charge of all temporal punishment due their sins, as 
the hour of death approaches. It is generally given 
with the last sacraments. 

In order to gain this indulgence the dying person 
must, first, be in a state of grace (free from all mortal 
sin), and for this purpose should go to confession and 
receive the Blessed Sacrament if he possibly can; 
secondly, he must have the intention of receiving it, if 
not an actual intention at least a general or implied 
intention; thirdly, he must be sorry for all of his sins, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 75 

venial as well as mortal; fourthly, he must invoke the 
name of Jesus, if not orally at least in his mind ; fifthly, 
he must be resigned to God^s will, even if he should be 
taken away by death. These conditions have reference 
to a person having the use of his reasoning faculties. 
If for any cause he is not in the possession of his senses, 
he must at least be in a state of grace. 

The dying should, therefore, endeavor to have lively 
sentiments of faith, hope and charity, — ^believing all 
the truths the Church believes and teaches, trusting in 
the great mercy of God and the boundless compassion 
of Jesus Christ, loving God above all things, forgiving 
everyone and asking forgiveness at least mentally. He 
should be sorry for his sins, and resolve that in case 
God gives him back his health and strength, he will be 
more careful to avoid sin and more diligent in keeping 
God^s commandments. Lastly, he should offer up his 
sufferings in union with the passion and death of our 
Lord, and accept God^s will if He should see fit to take 
him away by death. 

How happy is the Christian thus dying! The 
Church stands by his side in the last trying hour; she 
blesses him with a solemn blessing and grants him, if 
he has the right disposition, a full pardon of all the 
temporal punishment due the divine justice for his past 
offenses as he is about to step into eternity. Should he 
gain this indulgence as he passes into the presence of 
God^ he would be immediately numbered among the 
saints. 



76 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 

PENANCE. 

Penance is the Sacrament in which the sins com- 
mitted after Baptism are forgiven. Penance consists 
of contrition^ confession and satisfaction. Contrition 
is sorrow for sin and a firm resolve to sin no more; 
confession is telling our sins to a duly authorized 
priest for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness; and 
satisfaction is satisfying the divine justice for sins com- 
mitted. The one, therefore^ who receives this Sacra- 
ment worthily must make an earnest effort to find out 
his sins; must be sorry for them and make up his 
mind not to commit them again; must confess them to 
the priest and perform the penance which he imposes. 
This penance should be performed faithfully and as 
soon as possible. 

The power of forgiving sins was given by our Lord 
to the priests of His Church when He spoke these 
memorable words: "Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost, whose 
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and 
whose sins you shall retain^ they are retained.^^ It is 
evident that our Lord here instituted Penance in the 
form of a judicial tribunal. The priest is a judge who 
hears the offense (for this reason he must know the 
sin^ hence the necessity of confessing it), passes judg- 
ment by forgiving or not, imposes a punishment^ and 
prescribes a remedy. . The penitent is the accuser of self 
and the advocate of his own cause. He should abide 
by the sentence^ as all Catholics do, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 11 

THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE. 

To examine is to search into, investigate or find out. 
To examine the conscience is to search into its hidden 
recesses and thus find out or recall the sins we have 
committed since our last confession. It is absolutely 
essential for a good confession to know our mortal sins, 
to determine the number of times each was committed^ 
and to understand the circumstances that may change 
their nature. In beginning the examination we should 
pray to God for light to know our sins and for grace 
to be sorry for them. God will help us. 

How long we should spend in the examination of 
conscience depends upon the time since our last con- 
fession^ our state of life, the moral condition of the soul 
and the degree of fervor manifested in the practice of 
our religion. Those who confess frequently or have a 
delicate conscience need take but a short time as they 
are not likely to overlook any mortal offense. Scrupu- 
lous persons must obey their confessor and abide abso- 
lutely by his advice. They should submit to his deci- 
sions with absolute obedience. 

Those who confess once a year or not so frequently ;, 
and who are largely engaged in the affairs of the world, 
possibly sunk in sin, thinking little of breaking the laws 
of God, should be very careful. They should begin 
to reflect upon the past a day or two before confession, 
and should carefully read the examination of conscience 
found in the prayer book. Then they should excite 
themselves to true sorrow and be firm in the resolve to 
avoid sin in the future. 



78 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

A good confession largely depends upon a good 
examination of conscience. 



CONFESSION. 



Confession is a part of the Sacrament of Penance. 
It is telling our sins to a priest for the purpose of ob- 
taining forgiveness. 

Those who have never made a confession undoubt- 
edly think it must be a hard thing to do and very repug- 
nant to their feelings; but it is not. Catholics do not 
think it is a hard thing to do. The Church has taken 
every precaution to allay any feeling of aversion on the 
part of those who confess. She has been exceedingly 
strict in her legislation on this subject. The confession 
is absolutely private. The secrecy of the confessional 
is inviolable — so inviolable that the confessor would 
willingly suffer the severest penalties^ the worst forms 
of punishment and even death rather than reveal it. 
Besides, the priest is used to hearing confessions of all 
classes. Moreover, people are entirely free to select any 
confessor they may^ choose. These things should rob 
the confessional of its supposed terrors. 

Certain things are absolutely necessary for a good 
and valid confession. The first is, we must make an 
earnest, reasonable effort to examine our conscience. 
(See separate article on this subject.) The second is, 
we must have sorrow for our sins, otherwise they can- 
not be forgiven. God cannot forgive a sin we are not 
sorry for. We should endeavor, therefore, to have sor- 



^T 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 79 

row for our sins. There are many reasons why we 
should be sorry for them. In the first place they are 
most offensive to the love and goodness of God. If 
either the love or goodness of God should be the motive 
of our sorrow, it would be perfect sorrow, and would 
cause God to remit our sins without confession, pro- 
vided we could not make a confession and provided, 
also, we had the intention of going to confession as 
soon as an opportunity would present itself. Another 
reason for sorrow for sin is the fear of God^s judg- 
ments. This is called imperfect sorrow, and is not 
remissive of sin except through confession. Either is 
sufficient with confession. 

The third condition for a good confession is that it 
must be humble, sincere, truthful and entire. It is 
entire when we tell all the mortal or grievous sins we 
have committed since our last confession, and the cir- 
cumstances, if any, that might change their nature. 

There is a law of the Church to the effect that Catho- 
lics must under pain of grievous sin go to confession once 
a year. But to go weekly or monthly is an excellent 
practice^ and productive of great spiritual results. 
Those who cannot make their confession that often 
should endeavor to go every three or four months. 
There is, however, a moral obligation of going to con- 
fession as soon as possible after committing a mortal 
sin, and the one who does not do it is trifling with his 
salvation. Death may take him away with that mortal 
sin upon his soul. 

Children who have not made their first Communion 
and who have attained the use of reason should, accord- 



60 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ing to the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, go to 
confession four times a year, that is, during each of 
the four ember weeks which are the weeks in which the 
ember days occur. Parents should interest themselves 
in seeing that their children comply with this regula- 
tion. 



MANNER OP MAKING A CONFESSION. 

When you go to the confessional do not press before 
others. While you are waiting for your turn, do not 
distract yourself or others by looking around or talking, 
but make preparation for a good confession by examin- 
ing your conscience and praying to God for forgiveness. 
You should first pray to God that He may enable you 
to know your sins and give you grace to be sorry for 
them. After the examination of conscience, if you 
have long to wait, read that which relates to confession 
in your prayer book, or recite the Eosary, or meditate 
on some spiritual subject. 

Do not place yourself so near the confessional as to 
hear the confessions of others. If by accident you do 
hear what others are saying in the confessional, you are 
bound under the pain of sin to keep it a secret. Any- 
one who listens with the intention of hearing is guilty 
of sin. 

Before entering the confessional you can say the 
Confiteor as far as "through my most grievous fault,^' 
and when you come out^ you can say the rest of the 
Confiteor. 

When you go into the confessional, kneel down, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 



81 



bless yourself and say: ^^Bless me, Father, for I have 
sinned/^ Do not wait for the priest to begin, but begin 
yourself by telling him how long it has been since your 
last confession, if you received absolution, performed 
your penance, and received Holy Communion. Then 
go on and in a straightforward, sincere, truthful man- 
ner tell him all the sins you have committed since your 
last confession. Be very modest in word and manner, 
but make your sins perfectly clear. Do not whittle 
them away to nothing, nor make them bigger than they 
are, but in a simple, childlike manner, and in your own 
words, no matter how inelegant they may be, tell them 
just as you sincerely think they are. Do not speak so 
loud that others may hear, nor yet so low that the 
priest cannot understand. If you do not understand 
him, tell him so at once. 

Be sure to mention the number of times you have 
committed a sin, if it be mortal. To try to find out 
the number of times you have committed a sin is a 
part of the examination of conscience. If you cannot 
remember the exact number, you can state the number 
as near as you can. If it is quite a while since your last 
confession, it will simplify things to make known the 
number of times a sin is committed in a day, or a week, 
or a month. Do not say ^^several times,^^ ^^a good many 
times,^^ ^^a few times,^^ etc. When you confess that way 
the priest has to stop you and ask questions which could 
be avoided. 

For those who go to confession frequently it is a 
good custom to include some sin formerly confessed, 
for which you have great sorrow, such as untruthful- 



82 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ness^ dishonesty, missing Mass and the like. If some 
such sin be not included, the confessor may be obliged 
to request you to do so before he can give you absolu- 
tion^ in as much as he may think there is not sufficient 
matter to justify absolution being given. 

After you have told all your mortal sins and such 
of the venial sins as you wish to mention — and it is 
well to tell all — conclude your confession by saying: 
"For these and all my other sins I am heartily sorry, 
and I beg pardon of God and absolution of you, Father/^ 
Listen with attention to what the confessor says to you, 
remember the penance, and when you think he is about 
to give you absolution begin the act of contrition. 

Never speak to another about what has been told 
you in the confessional. It may be sinful, or at least 
it does not look well. The instruction, advice, encour- 
agement and warning there given are for you and for 
you alone. They are for nobody else. 



INDULGENCES. 



In order to understand the meaning of an indul- 
gence, it is necessary to bear in mind that there are two 
bitter fruits produced by sin, namely, the guilt which 
deprives the soul of the grace and friendship of God, 
and a penalty which signifies some sort of punishment. 
There are the guilt of sin and the penalty due it. The 
latter or penalty may be eternal or temporal. Now, the 
guilt of sin and the eternal penalty or punishment are 
forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance, but the Sacra- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 83 

ment does not always remit all the temporal punish- 
ment. 

Very much likely remains to be discharged either in 
this life by means of good works, penances or virtuous 
acts, or else in the next life in Purgatory. Taking the 
world as it is, prone to so much evil, disinclined to 
works of penance or mortification, careless about its 
religious duties, and steeped in so much sin, vice and 
crime, it is almost certain that the divine justice will 
require much punishment to be meted out in Purgatory, 
whence the soul shall not depart until the last farthing 
is paid. 

It is here where the indulgence granted by the 
Church is applicable. It is a remission of the whole or 
a part of the temporal punishment due to our misdeeds. 
If all of it is remitted, the indulgence is called plenary ; 
if only a part is remitted, the indulgence is called 
partial. 

A plenary indulgence is, therefore, a remission of 
the whole of the temporal punishment due to sin. So 
that theologians teach us, that were we to die immedi- 
ately after gaining a plenary indulgence, we should go 
straight to Heaven. The same may be said of the souls 
in Purgatory, whenever in suffrage for them we gain 
a plenary indulgence applicable to them, provided the 
divine justice deigns to accept it in their behalf. 

A partial indulgence is a remission of only a part of 
the temporal punishment due to sin. Partial indul- 
gences are designated by days, quarantines and years. 
A quarantine means a Lent or forty days. Thus we 
receive an indulgence of so many days, quarantines or 



84 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

years. The meaning is not that our confinement in 
Purgatory would be less that number of days or years, 
but it means that so much temporal punishment is 
remitted as would be remitted by a penance in the 
primitive Church continuing for so many days and years. 
How long that would be in Purgatory we do not know. 
Why can the Church grant an indulgence ? Because 
the infinite inerits and ^satisfaction of Christy and the 
super-abundant merits of the Blessed Virgin and the 
Saints form an infinite treasure of merits and satisfac- 
tion^ and the Church holds the keys to this heavenly 
treasure and can dispense its stores to the faithful. "I 
will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. 
And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be 
bound also in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose 
upon earthy it shall be loosed also in Heaven/^ (Math. 
16-19.) This doctrine is expressed by the following 
words of Clement VI : ^^Jesus Christ did by His super- 
abundant holy passion bequeath to His Church militant 
here on earth an infinite treasure, not laid up in a nap- 
kin, nor hidden in a field, but committed by Him to be 
dispensed for the welfare of the faithful by the hands 
of blessed Peter, who has the keys of Heaven, and by 
his successors here on earth, the vicars of Jesus Christ. 
In this treasure are amassed also all the merits of the 
Blessed Mother of God, and of all the elect from the 
first just man even to the last/^ 



n 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 



85 



CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO GAIN IN- 
DULGENCES. 

Certain conditions are always necessary to gain an 
indulgence. First^ the soul must be in a state of grace^ 
that is, free from mortal sin. The soul in a state of 
mortal guilt is incapable of receiving an indulgence of 
any kind. Besides, the temporal punishment or penalty 
cannot be remitted until the guilt is first f orgiyen. Sec- 
ondly^ it is necessary to have an intention of receiving 
the indulgence^ at least a general or implied one. It 
would be well to form such an intention daily by adding 
to your morning prayers words to this effect : ^^I desire 
to gain all indulgences to-day.^^ These words, or even 
the mental formation of the thought they express, would 
be sufficient. If you desire to apply the indulgence to 
the souls in Purgatory, a special intention is necessary. 
Thirdly, the Church has always enjoined certain good 
works, and these must be faithfully performed in per- 
son and according to time^ manner and circumstances 
specified. If they are not done, or a notable part 
omitted, the indulgence is not gained, except in cases 
where they are changed by lawful superiors or confes- 
sors into some other works. It is well to carefully note 
in the prayer book, or in the document announcing the 
indulgence, the works mentioned. 

The above conditions are necessary to secure any 
indulgence, whether plenary or partial. But to gain a 
plenary indulgence, confession,. Communion and prayers 
for the intention of the Holy Father are usually re- 
quired in addition to the above conditions, and some- 



86 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 

times a visit to a church or public oratory is necessary. 
Bear in mind that these works are not usually required 
for a partial indulgence, but the words, ^Vith at least 
a contrite heart/^ are generally employed, which mean 
that if anyone in a state of mortal sin wishes to gain 
the indulgence in question, he must at least make an 
act of perfect contrition with a firm purpose of going 
to confession. 

Those who are accustomed to go to confession week- 
ly, if not lawfully prevented^ may gain all indulgences 
attached to their good actions during the week, even 
though confession is mentioned as a condition, provided 
they are not conscious of mortal sin, and provided, also, 
the indulgence is not granted in the form of a Jubilee. 
Confession alone, or confession and Communion, may 
be made on the day before the indulgence is granted. 
The same Communion will suffice for more than one 
plenary indulgence granted on the same day, provided 
the other works are performed. 

The Holy Father grants to all those who, being in 
a state of grace and having the right intention, are 
accustomed to receive Communion daily, even though 
they miss once or twice a week, the indulgence^ without 
the weekly confession, which in other circumstances is 
still of obligation for rightly gaining the indulgences 
that occur during the week. 

A visitation to a church is not usually prescribed, 
but in case it is, you are at liberty to select any church 
or public oratory, unless a particular one is mentioned. 
The prayers for the intention of the Holy Father are 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE* 87 

left entirely to the people's choice. Five Our Fathers 
and Hail Marys are considered sufficient. 

The most important condition for gaining a plenary 
indulgence is to have a true sorrow and hatred for all 
our sins, venial as well as mortal, and there must be no 
attachment to them nor affection for them, otherwise 
an indulgence in all fullness cannot be gained. God 
cannot remit all punishment while we love a single 
sinful deed. ^^It is certain/' says St. Alphonsus, ^^that 
so long as the guilt of venial sin is not remitted, the 
punishment due to it cannot be remitted.'' 

Confessors can, as a rule, change the Communion 
and the visitation to a church into some other pious 
works in the case of those, who on account of chronic 
illness or permanent physical inability, cannot leave 
their homes. 



HOW BLESSED ARTICLES LOSE THEIR 
INDULGENCES. 

Blessed articles, which are commonly designated as 
movable and to which an indulgenced blessing is at- 
tached, such as rosaries, crucifixes, medals, statues or 
other articles generally carried about the person, lose 
the indulgences attached to them, first, by being de- 
stroyed either by wear, breakage, fire or any other cause ; 
secondly, by losing the ownership of them through sale, 
purchase or by giving them away after becoming the 
owner, or in any other way. 

In reference to the first, the article must remain the 
same, if not physically at least morally. Hence it.must 



88 -CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PBACTICE. 

be wholly destroyed beyond repair to forfeit the indul- 
gence. If it is only slightly damaged and the damage 
repaired^ the indulgence remains. Medals, crucifixes, 
etc., may be said to be wholly destroyed if they become 
so worn or disfigured as to become unrecognizable, 
especially the face of our Lord. The indulgence is 
attached to the ^^corpus^^ or body of the crucifix and 
consequently the body may be transferred to another 
cross. Statues, when slightly damaged and repaired, 
do^not lose the indulgenced blessing. If the chain of 
a rosary be broken and mended again, or if a few of the 
beads are lost, or if the beads are re-strung on another 
chain, the indulgences remain. The idea is that the 
article after being repaired is the same article. 

In reference to forfeiting the indulgenced blessing 
through losing ownership of an article, this principle is 
to be followed, namely, the indulgence is attached to the 
article but intended for one certain person. The appli- 
cation of this rule is very strict in order to prevent the 
least appearance of simony or traffic in sacred things. 
Hence, if you lose ownership of an article either by 
selling it or giving it away, or even losing it beyond 
recovery, the indulgences cease. After you become the 
owner of such an article, you are not allowed to give 
it at cost price, nor to accept what would cover neces- 
sary expenses, nor as a gift, nor as a charitable dona- 
tion, nor in exchange for something else. Religious 
articles are bought or sold before being blessed, and 
blessed afterwards. 

It is allowable, however, to give a rosary beads to 
another merely as an accommodation to count the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AKD PRACTICE. 89 

prayers, but not to gain the indulgences. If it is for 
the purpose of giving -him the indulgences^ the rosary 
ceases to be indulgenced. Eosary beads that are found 
must be re-blessed. It is also permitted for priests or 
people to give away indulgenced articles^ for instance 
a rosary or such like, provided they are not blessed for 
their own personal use and as a matter of fact they 
have not used them. For instance, a person may get a 
number of articles blessed^ not with the intention of 
using them himself, but with the intention of giving 
them to others. He can do this, and the one to whom 
he gratuitously gives them and who uses them for the 
first time is considered the owner and gains the indul- 
gences. This is frequently done by people who go to 
Eome or other holy places and bring back many articles 
for their, friends, and although the indulgence is at- 
tached to the article it is intended for one person who 
is to become the owner and who uses it for the first 
time. 



RESTITUTION. 



Justice demands that ill-gotten goods or their value 
be restored, if it be possible to do so. It is well to bear 
in mind that sins against strict justice cannot be for- 
given until restitution is made, if it can be made, and 
if it cannot be made in fact, there must at least be an 
ardent desire to make it. If the theft or appropriation 
of goods or money be large enough to constitute a grave 
offense against strict justice, the obligation to restore 
binds under the pain of mortal sin; if it is slight and 



90 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

constitutes merely a venial sin^ the obligation to restore 
binds only under the pain of venial sin. That is the 
plain teaching of the Church, and the world would be 
more honest if all would heed her. Eestitution can be 
made secretly. No one is obliged to proclaim himself 
a thief or to incriminate himself. 

What constitutes a mortal offense against the law 
of strict justice? Theologians do not agree on this 
point, but they are sufficiently in accord for all practical 
purposes. The standard of values varies in different 
countries and under different circumstances. Condi- 
tions in life, too, have to be taken into consideration. 
What would apply^ therefore, in one case, may not apply 
in another. Four theologians have written specially 
for America and they are considered of the highest 
authority. These are Kenrick, Sabetti, Tanquerey and 
Konings. 

Kenrick holds that twenty-five cents unjustly taken 
from a laborer, fifty cents from a mechanic, one dollar 
from an ordinarily rich man, and five dollars in all 
cases constitute a mortal offense or a grave infraction 
of justice. Konings is not so severe. He holds that 
one dollar from a laborer, one dollar and twenty-five 
cents from a mechanic, two dollars from the one who 
lives on an income, and ten dollars in all cases are 
sufficient to make a mortal sin. Sabetti and Tanquerey 
are about midway between these two and are probably 
the safest to follow in practice. Speaking generally 
and in ordinary cases, it is commonly considered that 
to unjustly take one dollar constitutes a mortal sin, 



T^TTT 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 91 

though there may be exceptional circumstances where 
this rule would not hold good. 

It should be borne in mind that, as far as restitution 
is concerned, when there is an infraction of strict jus- 
tice^ there is no difference between an individual and 
what are commonly understood as moral persons, such 
as corporations, firms, stores, companies, civic bodies, 
etc. He who unjustly takes from them is obliged, if 
possible, to make good the loss. But so many things 
have to be taken into account, that it is always best to 
consult your confessor. 



A CASE OF RESTITUTION, 

There is a very striking case of restitution narrated 
in the Gospels. It is that of Zacheus, a tax collector. 
He lived in the time of Christ and was considered to be 
a bad, dishonest man. By his alleged dishonest methods 
of collecting taxes levied by Kome, he had become ex- 
ceedingly wealthy. 

He heard of Jesus and was anxious to meet Him. 
On one occasion he tried to get near Him, but there 
were so many people around Him that he did not suc- 
ceed. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed into the 
branches of a sycamore tree that grew by the side of 
the road along which our Lord was to pass. 

As our Savior approached. He raised His eyes towards 
the publican and exclaimed: ^^Zacheus, make haste and 
come down; for this day I must abide in thy house 
The people murmured that he should receive such con 



yy 



.92 .CATHOLIC BELIEF AND rRAGTICE. 

sideration. But he came down, and then and there 
promised to give half of all he possessed to the poor, 
and^ moreover, if he had wronged any man^ to restore 
fourfold. For every dollar he had unjustly taken he 
would give back four! 

What did Christ say to this ? Let no one forget His 
answer. He said : ^^This day is salvation come to this 
house/^ 



MATRIMONY. 



Matrimony was instituted by God and raised to the 
dignity of a sacrament by our Lord. It unites Christian 
man and woman in lawful wedlock. God gives the 
parties thus united special grace to fulfill the various 
obligations and discharge the numerous duties which 
life imposes upon them. 

The bond of Christian marriage is indissoluble, that 
is, it cannot be broken except by death. The words of 
St. Matthew, ^^What God hath joined together, let no 
man put asunder,^^ refer to the bond of marriage. The 
Church can never, therefore, grant a divorce, and under 
no circumstances can permit a divorced person to marry 
again, provided the former marriage is good or valid. 
For certain grave reasons, the husband and the wife 
may be permitted to live separately, but they are always 
husband and wife, and never free to marry another until 
the other party dies. 

A marriage can be contracted only in the absence 
of nullifying impediments which are obstacles standing 
in the way of it* validity. There are a number of these 



yiF^f/Ti^'-'- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 93 

impediments. Marriage entered into with any of them 
present would be considered null and void by fiie 
Church, unless she dispenses with or removes them. 
To find out if they exist, as well as to publicly make 
known the solemnization of marriage, the banns are pub- 
lished at the principal Mass in the parish church for 
three successive Sundays or holy days of obligation. 

The marriage ceremony should take place in the 
parish church before God^s altar. It should also be per- 
formed at Mass, for it is only then that the nuptial 
blessing can be given. This cannot be imparted outside 
of Mass. When marriage is to take place, whether at 
Mass or not, the persons to be married should go to 
confession, and if possible receive Holy Communion on 
the day of their marriage, as Matrimony is a Sacrament 
that should be received in a state of grace. They may 
receive Holy Communion at the nuptial Mass, and in 
this case must be fasting. 

The pastor should be given ample notice about mar- 
riages, at least three Sundays in advance, and no ar- 
rangements should be made nor invitations to the wed- 
ding sent out before he is seen. The day of marriage 
should not be spent in an unbecoming manner or in 
frivolous, not to say sinful, pleasures. 



THE NEW MARRIAGE LAW. 

There is a new decree in reference to Catholic mar- 
riages, which became effective on Easter, April 19, 1908. 
According to this decree Catholics must be married 



94 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

before the pastor or Bishop (Ordinary) of the place 
where the ceremony takes place, or by a priest author- 
ized by either of them, and before at least two witnesses, 
otherwise the marriage is null and void. Catholics who 
are not married before the pastor or Bishop of the place 
where the ceremony takes place, or by a priest authorized 
by either of them and before at least two witnesses, after 
the above date, will be considered by the Church not 
married at all. This is true when both parties are 
Catholics, or only one of them is a Catholic; it is true 
also whether they are practical or fallen away Catholics. 
It binds those who were baptized in the Catholic Church 
or have become converts. The Church does not con- 
sider Protestant marriages null and void because not 
performed before a Catholic priest. It would seem 
unnecessary to mention this, but we have been accused 
of holding such views in the past, and hence liable to 
be accused of holding them in the future. The present 
decree has no reference to any but Catholic marriages, 
that is, where both parties, or one of the parties, are or 
have been Catholics. 

Hence, Catholics, whether practical or fallen away, 
must be married before the pastor of the district or 
parish where the marriage takes place or the ordinary 
of the place or a priest authorized by either of them, 
and before at least two witnesses ; otherwise it is invalid. 

The new decree does not abrogate any of the usual 
impediments to marriage^ except sponsalia (espousals), 
which to be valid as an impediment must be in writing, 
signed by the parties and by either the parish priest or 
the ordinary of the place, or by two witnesses. If one 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 95 

or both the contracting parties cannot write, the fact is 
to be noted in the document and another witness is to 
be added. The other impediments remain. 

There are two exceptions to the rule requiring 
Catholics to be married before the pastor or ordinary of 
the place or a priest delegated by either of them. The 
first is when there is imminent danger of death and 
urgent reasons exist for the celebration of the marriage, 
and the pastor or ordinary of the place or one delegated 
by either of them cannot be had in time. In such case 
the marriage may be celebrated validly and lawfully 
before any priest and two witnesses. The second is 
when the pastor or ordinary of the place, or one dele- 
gated by either of them, cannot be had for the space of 
a month ; in such case marriage may be validly and law- 
fully entered into by the formal declaration of the 
parties before two witnesses. 

What has thus far been written has reference to the 
validity of marriage. The decree contains certain regu- 
lations which make it licit. To understand them it is 
necessary to know the difference between validity and 
licitness. Validity affects the marriage contract; licit- 
ness only affects the manner in which the contract is 
made. When a marriage is invalid, there is no marriage 
at all; when it is illicit, marriage is there, but the 
parties are more or less at fault in not being married 
according to all the requirements of the law. Validity 
expresses what ^^ust'^ be done ; licitness expresses what 
^^ought^^ to be done. 

What are the requirements of the decree to make a 
marriage licit? To be married in their own church 



96 CATHOLI€ BELIEF ANU PRACTICE, 

before their own pastor or ordinary of the place, or a 
priest delegated by either of them. To belong to a 
parish^ as far as marriage is concerned, a person must 
have a domicile in it or live in if for at least one month. 
Those who have no such domicile in any parish (vagi), 
cannot be married without the permission of the ordi- 
nary, provided there is no grave necessity. If one of the 
parties lives in one parish^ and the other in another 
parish^ the marriage should be celebrated in the parish 
of the bride, unless some just cause excuses from this. 
A new feature of the decree requires marriage to be 
noted in the baptismal register. On this account the 
bride and groom should be able to state when and where 
they were baptized. They should be able to give the~ 
name and location of the church in which they were 
baptized. Such information can be given privately. 



IMPEDIMENTS TO MARRIAGE. 

An impediment^ according to its common meaning, 
is that which impedes or obstructs. Applied to mar- 
riage, it is that which renders it invalid or illicit. 
There are two kinds of marriage impediments, namely, 
nullifying (called diriment) and prohibitive. The for- 
mer, when existing at the time of marriage, make it 
null and void. The latter forbid a marriage to take 
place, but should it take place, it is valid. 

The principal nullifying impediments are, 1. defec- 
tive age; 2. physical unfitness; 3. previous valid mar- 
riage not dissolved by death; 4. affinity; 5. consanguin- 



"?«^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 



97 



ity; 6. disparity of worship or marriage between a 
Catholic and a non-baptized person; 7. public honesty; 
8. violence or compulsion; 9. certain crimes of married 
persons; 10. solemn vows; 11. orders; 12. clandestinity. 

If any one of these impediments exists previous to 
marriage and has not been removed or dispensed with 
by proper ecclesiastical authority^ such marriage is null 
and void. A ^"^dispensation^^ is the act of dispensing 
with or removing the impediment. But we must bear 
in mind that one of these impediments is of divine 
origin, namely previous valid marriage not dissolved by 
death, and the Church cannot dispense with it. She 
cannot abrogate a positive law of God. Some are of 
natural origin^ such as defective age or physical unfit- 
ness^ and the Church cannot remove these either, for 
she cannot interfere with the operations of a natural 
law. She inforces divine and natural laws. Others are 
of purely ecclesiastical origin^ such as disparity of wor- 
ship and spiritual affinity, and these she can dispense 
with on the principle that the body or one who makes 
a law can repeal' it or in particular cases suspend its 
operation. When any of these impediments exist pre- 
vious to marriage and have not been removed, such 
marriage is null and void, even though a priest should 
perform the ceremony. 

N"o priest will perform a marriage ceremony with 
any of them in the way, unless he has been deceived. 
The Church does not grant dispensations except for 
grave reasons. 

The prohibitive impediments are, 1. mixed religion 
or marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non- 



98 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Catholic; 2. non-gublication of the banns; 3. espousals 
when in writing and properly attested; 4. simple vows; 
5. solemnization of marriage during forbidden times. 
These merely forbid a marriage^ but should it take place 
with one or all of them existing^ the Church regards 
it as valid^ provided they are married within the Church 
according to the new marriage law. The parties, how- 
ever, are guilty of a grievous offense. In case there are 
any so unfortunate as to get married outside of the 
Churchy they should consult their confessor. 



BANNS OP MARRIAGE. 

The banns of marriage are a public proclamation 
that a certain marriage is about to take place. To 
make such a proclamation is an old law of the Church, 
and according to it the names of the persons to be 
joined in wedlock must be published or ^^^called out^^ in 
their parish church at the principal or parochial Mass 
for three successive Sundays or holy days of obligation. 
The banns need not be published in the place of their 
nativity, but in the place where they live when getting 
married. 

If one of the parties lives in one parish and the 
other in another, the banns should be published in both. 
If a notable period of time elapses, generally considered 
two or three months, from the time of the last proclama- 
tion to the time of the solemnization of the marriage, 
the banns should be published again. 

The reason for this law is to guard against the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 99 

possibility of marriages taking place between those who, 
according to the rules of the Church, cannot be married. 
There are certain impediments which make a marriage 
null and void. The names of the parties are made 
known to the congregation or to those who are most 
likely to know if such impediments exist. 

If any one knows of the existence of any impediment, 
it is his bounden duty to so inform the priest. He is 
under a serious obligation to make such knowledge 
known. The Church is very particular about the nup- 
tial bond^ and hence she takes every precaution in the 
matter. The greatest precaution is to proclaim their 
Qames publicly. 

Besides^ marriage is a ceremony that affects the 
public welfare. Being a contract, as well as a Sacra- 
ment, society at large has an interest in it, and should 
know when it is entered into and by whom. For this 
reason the state publishes the names of those who secure 
marriage licenses. 

It is most necessary, therefore^ to comply with the 
law^ which requires the banns to be published to the 
congregation. Every pastor is under grave obligation 
to do so. They must not be dispensed with except for 
very serious and grave reasons. It is only when the 
publication of the banns in some manner reflects upon 
the character of the persons^ or may do them a serious 
injury that the privilege of a dispensation from the law 
should be sought. 



100 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY. 

The couple to be married should be in the church 
punctually at the appointed time and present themselves 
before the altar where the priest^ dressed in surplice and 
stole, awaits them. There should be at least two wit- 
nesses to the ceremony. The bridegroom hands the 
priest his marriage license^ if he has not already done 
so. This license must always be procured where the 
civil law requires it. The priest keeps it as he is 
obliged under penalty to certify to it and return it to the 
county court from which it was issued. 

In beginning the ceremony the priest asks the bride- 
groom the following question : ^^^IST N wilt thou 

take N N" here present for thy lawful wife 

according to the rite of our Holy Mother the Church ?^^ 
He answers: ^^I will.^^ 

Then using her name first instead of his and sub- 
stituting "lawful husband^^ for "lawful wife/^ he asks 
the bride the same question. She answers: "I will.^^ 

The priest then , requests them to join their right 
hands and repeat after him each in turn, the bridegroom 
first, the following: 

"I, N N- , take thee, N" IsT , for my 

lawful wife (or husband) to have and to hold from this 
day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, 
in sickness and in health, till death do us part.^^ 

After these words are spoken the priest declares them 
united in the bonds of Matrimony and sprinkles them 
with holy water. The bridegroom at once produces the 
wedding ring, which he gives to the priest, unless he 




>r^^^^^^^^^-^:my^--\y'---rx..r,-: . . : - ^pn 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 101 



has already given it to him. As soon as it is blessed he 
returns it to the bridegroom with the request to put it 
on the bride^s finger repeating these words : 

"With this ring I thee wed and I plight unto thee 
my troth/^ 

When the prayers prescribed by the Ritual are said 
the ceremony proper is ended. If marriage takes 
place at Mass^ it begins at once. It is the desire of the 
Church that all marriages be so solemnized and the 
nuptial blessing given^ provided it is not within the 
times forbidding such solemnization and provided the 
bride, if a widow, has not received the blessing in her 
former marriage. This blessing cannot be given out- 
side of Mass. 

The bride and bridegroom should remember that 
marriage is a Sacrament that must be received in the 
state of grace or free from mortal sin, and hence they 
should go to confession and if possible receive Holy 
Communion on the day of their marriage. 



MIXED MARRIAGES. 

There is a law forbidding Catholics to marry non- 
Catholics. When such marriages do take place, they 
are called "mixed/' and the Church has always discour- 
aged them. The reasons that cause her to take this 
stand are easy to see. No convictions are so strong as 
religious convictions; no prejudice is so hard to break 
down as religious prejudice. Both are hard to over- 
come and stubborn to handle. A difference of religion 



102 ^ CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

is liable to lead to misunderstandings, loss of faith and 
the neglect of the children's moral training. 

There should be no difference of opinion between 
man and wife in such an essential home influence as 
religion. It is not easy to underrate the importance of 
a factor that regulates their relations to God, and sets 
up a standard of proper conduct and correct living. 
When the father professes one form of religion and the 
mother another, both forms are liable to suffer. Just 
as soon as the question of religion comes between man 
and wife, a great wall is raised up between heart and 
heart, mind and mind, will and will. The little chil- 
dren are made to suffer in a way that tells upon their 
whole future. The question of religious training is 
not mentioned in the home. Probably they are bap- 
tized, possibly not. They are, in too many instances, 
not taught their prayers, nor required to go to church, 
nor encouraged to learn their Catechism, nor instructed 
in the rudiments of Christian doctrine. That is the 
way they lose their faith. 

Hence the Church forbids such marriages, unless 
there are very grave and urgent reasons for permitting 
them, and then before a dispensation from the law is 
granted, the non-Catholic is obliged to sign an agree- 
ment that he or she shall not interfere in any way with 
the practice of the Catholic party^s religion, and that 
all the children shall be raised in the Catholic faith, 
and that no other ceremony than that by the priest shall 
be performed. 

Young people cannot be too careful in entering into 
a life-long alliance that at its best may be the cause of 



^^TTI 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 103 

unpleasantness, misunderstanding and possible loss of 
faith not only to themselves, but to those whom in the 
nature of things they must hold near and dear. 



TIMES IN WHICH MARRIAGE IS FORBIDDEN. 

There are certain times of the year during which 
it is forbidden to solemnize marriage. The restriction 
arises from a reverence for the sacredness of these sea- 
sons. These times are from the beginning of Advent 
till the feast of the Epiphany (January 6), and from 
the beginning of Lent till Low Sunday (the Sunday 
after Easter.) The rigidity of the enforcement of the 
regulation varies in different localities, but the Church 
only forbids the solemnization of the marriage ceremony, 
that is, the bestowal of the nuptial blessing with great 
pomp, display or festivities. 



THE SACRAMENTALS. 

Catholics make use of certain things which are 
blessed or set aside by the Church for the purpose of 
ejxciting good thoughts and creating pious dispositions. 
These are the sacramentals. Through the virtuous sen- 
timents aroused by them in the heart and soul, venial 
sins are remitted and our spiritual good advanced. 
They may also avail for our temporal welfare. 

They are classified under different headings, such 
as rites and ceremonies connected with the administra- 
tion of the Sacraments ; benedictions and exorcisms net 



104 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

in connection with the Sacraments ; things which are 
sacred either by divine origin or through the various 
blessings of the Church ; and lastly, certain pious works 
and exercises. It is not our intention to enumerate 
them all here, but only those which are in most com- 
mon use among Catholics. We may mention the sign 
of the cross, holy water, blessed candles, blessed palm, 
blessed ashes, rosary beads, scapulars, crucifixes, agnus 
deis, images of our Lord and the saints, many prayers 
and all blessings or benedictions of whatsoever kind. 
It must be borne in mind that there is a vast 
difference between them and the Sacraments. The 
Sacraments were instituted by Christ, and infallibly give 
grace if there be no obstacle in the way; the sacramen- 
tals were instituted from time to time by the Church, 
and incline us to the practice of virtue by creating move- 
ments of the heart and dispositions of soul that are 
pleasing to God. In this manner they remit venial 
sins and contribute to the advancement oi our spiritual 
and temporal well being. They do not possess any 
power in themselves. To hold that they do would be 
superstitious and idolatrous. They derive their efficacy 
from the prayers of the Church, and from the fact that 
the Church blesses them and sets them aside as instru- 
ments of creating good thoughts and virtuous disposi- 
tions. Material things are absolutely incapable of their 
own inherent power to give help to any one, except to 
satisfy natural wants, but they may be blessed or as- 
signed by the Church to certain uses, and through that 
blessing and assignment they become instruments for 
good. Then they become sacred things and should.be 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 105 

regarded as such by the faithful. To show disrespect 
or contempt for them is to show disrespect and con- 
tempt for the Church which has authority from God 
to employ every legitimate means in her power to in- 
duce those under her care to lead good^ holy lives. 



THE BLESSINGS OF THE CHURCH. 

The blessings of the Church have a deep meaning 
and are of great assistance in combating evil and pro- 
moting virtuous dispositions. 

By the primal transgression the world passed under 
the sway of the evil spirit. God then cursed all 
material things. He made all things good in them- 
selves, but, although remaining good in themselves, they 
were vitiated by the original fall and the spirit of evil 
makes use of them to carry on his own nefarious work 
for the destruction of souls. There can be no doubt 
that his trail is upon the earth, and all things, man 
included, feel the effects of his power. His temptations 
and allurements meet us at every turn. 

The motive governing the Church in her blessings 
is to curtail his influence, to render him powerless over 
persons and things, and to furnish means by which 
virtuous dispositions may be aroused in the soul. They 
certainly advance our spiritual and even temporal wel- 
fare. Some articles are set aside for special religious 
purposes, and these she orders to be blessed or conse- 
cratedT)efore using. In other cases she ardently desires 
the faithful to ask her benediction either for articles 



106 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

they use or objects they are interested in^ or persons in 
unusual circumstances. 

There are a large number of these blessings, and all 
of them are sacramentals. It would be impossible to 
specify them here in detail, but we may mention that 
there are more than one hundred different forms. They 
include blessings for articles to be used in the Church 
or privately at home; for the temples in which we 
worship and the houses' in which we dwell; for the fruits 
of the earth and the food we eat; for persons in various 
states and conditions of life and for the ground wherein 
the dead are laid to rest; for the beasts of the field 
and many inanimate objects of nature; to guard against 
danger, pestilence and plague, and to render our sur- 
roundings powerless for evil. There is a formula en- 
titled ^^ad omnia/^ which means all other things not 
having a special formula. Evidently the condition is 
understood that they be used for good purposes. 

This shows the wide range of their application, and 
reveals the mind of the Church in reference to their 
beneficial results. 

All articles specially blessed should be looked upon 
as sacred. They should not be misused, nor thrown 
around, nor regarded with indifference, not to say con- 
tempt. It does not look well to see them cast anywhere 
about the house in the most unbecoming places. When, 
for any cause, they are no longer of use, they should be 
burned or buried in a place where they will not be dis- 
turbed. Never throw a blessed article out. Bum or 
bury it. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 107 

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 

The Cross is the sacred emblem of Christianity. It 
is not only emblematic of the religion practiced by 
Christians, but it puts them in mind of the incarnation, 
passion and death of their Lord, and is an open pro- 
fession of their belief in the Holy Trinity. 

This sacred sign has become so common that it is 
a distinctive mark of objects purely Catholic. It is used 
by the Church in all her blessings, ceremonies and relig- 
ious functions, and she encourages the faithful to fre- 
quently make it on themselves. 

In making it on ourselves, it should be made proper- 
ly. To make it properly, raise the right hand to the 
forehead, then lower it to the breast, then bring it to 
the left shoulder, then to the right, saying at the same 
time: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen/^ 

Too many make it so imperfectly and with so much 
carelessness as to suggest irreverence. An indulgence 
of fifty days may be gained by those who make it with 
a contrite heart and distinctly pronounce the words. 

We should make it on ourselves before and after 
prayer, and sometimes during prayer, before and after 
meals, going into and leaving a church, upon retiring 
at night and rising in the morning, in all trials, tempta- 
tions, troubles and afflictions. 



HOLY WATER, 



Holy water is water that has been blessed. Its 
origin dates back to the earliest times, and its use has 



108 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

become universal in the Catholic world. To such an 
extent is this true^ that the Church makes use of it in 
all ceremonies^ blessings and functions of religion, as 
well as in the administration of many of the Sacra- 
ments. The people are advised to keep it in their homes^ 
and sprinkle themselves with it on various occasions, 
and also to sprinkle their houses with it. 

The spiritual benefits resulting from it are most 
salutary. It is a safeguard against the attacks of the 
evil spirit and commands him to depart; it invites the 
presence of the Holy Spirit at all times; and it brings 
health to the soul and body. Faith teaches us that 
Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he 
may devour. He stands in the way to what is holiest 
and best, and tries to deflect souls from the path of 
virtue into the ways of sin and wickedness. This is 
true at all times, but especially at the hour of death. 
Holy water is intended to stay him in such work, and 
to secure the assistance of God's grace. In common 
Avith all the sacramentals^ it may cause the remission 
of venial sin. 

Hence the laudable practice of using it on certain 
occasions. The principal of these occasions for people 
generally are, when coming into and leaving a church 
when retiring at night and arising in the morning, 
when afflicted with trouble, surrounded by danger or 
beset with temptation. 

Holy water should always be in Catholic homes. 
It should be kept in a small vial or bottle. It is better 
to have one specially for the purpose. They are for 
sale at any Catholic store. Small fonts should be placed 




^Tn 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 109 



near the door of bed rooms so as to be convenient to 
take the water upon retiring and rising. 

Holy water should not be kept too long without 
renewal, for it will become corrupt. It should be used 
for sprinkling purposes only. It should never be 
swallowed or drank. That is not the purpose in view 
in blessing it. 

Those who use it with reverence and faith according 
to the intention of the Church will certainly be spirit- 
ually benefitted thereby. 

Pope Pius IX granted to all the faithful an indul- 
gence of one hundred days every time they make, with 
a contrite hearty the sign of the cross with holy water, 
pronouncing at the same time the words : ^^In the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen/^ 



BLESSED CANDLES. 

Light is always used in the celebration of the sacred 
mysteries. It dispels darkness and is symbolical of God 
who dwells in light inaccessible. St. John says that 
God is clothed with light as with a garment. Light is, 
therefore^ most appropriate, in celebrating the mysteries 
of religion. 

In this connection the candle is the light of the 
Church. It must be made of beeswax. No other 
material has ever been allowed, except in a few very 
rare cases. 

There is a special day on which candles are blessed 
for the whole year. That day is the feast of the Purifi- 



110 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

cation of the Blessed Virgin which is held on the 
second of February. The establishment of the feast of 
the Purification is a matter of discussion, but there can 
be little doubt that the blessing of candles in connection 
with it is on account of its taking the place of certain 
pagan festivities in Eome at which lights and torches 
were carried through the streets. The Popes wished to 
do away with these festivities and ordered that lights 
be used in connection with the purification of the 
Mother of God, hence candles are always blessed on that 
day, though they may be blessed at other times, if it 
be found necessary to do so. It is customary for the 
people to make an offering of candles to the church on 
that occasion, and after they are blessed, to take one or 
two home with them. They will be needed in case the 
Sacraments are administered in the house, that is. Com- 
munion or Extreme Unction. They will also be needed 
in case of death. In times of danger they may be lit. 
A pair of candlesticks should be provided and kept, to- 
gether with the candles, in a convenient place where 
they can be readily found. 



BLESSED ASHES. 

Ashes are a sign of repentance and humiliation. 
They have been used in nearly all ages as an outward 
manifestation of true humility of heart and sorrow for 
sin. 

The custom of sprinkling them on the heads or 
foreheads of the people at the beginning of Lent is 
indicative of the nature of the penitential season. 



^^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AKD PRACTICE. Ill 

In the early centuries they were given only to public 
penitents who were driven out of the Church on account 
of their sins. They presented themselves at the church 
door at the beginning of the Lenten season with a view 
of being taken back on Holy Thursday. But in course 
of time others who were not public penitents stood with 
them and received the ashes through a spirit of hu- 
mility and self-denial, and as their number gradually 
increased the rule of sprinkling all with ashes became 
customary. 

The ashes are blessed immediately before the Mass 
said on the first day of Lent, and are distributed to the 
people in attendance. As the first day of Lent always 
falls on Wednesday, the blessing and distribution of the 
ashes have given it the name of Ash-Wednesday. 

When received with the proper spirit, they are won- 
derful means of reminding us of our last end and the 
necessity of being humble and penitent in the sight of 
God. Every one, therefore, should be present on Ash- 
Wednesday either at the morning or evening service 
to receive them, though the obligation to do so does not 
bind under the pain of sin. To receive the ashes, go 
up to the altar railing devoutly and slowly with hands 
joined. As the priest places the ashes on your fore- 
head in the form of a cross, he says : "Eemember, man, 
that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return." 
We have to be reminded again and again of this great 
truth. 

Do not brush the ashes off unless they are very 
noticeable or uncomfortable. To carry them home either 



112 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

for the sick or those who cannot come to the church or 
for any other purpose is forbidden. 



BLESSED PALM. 



The blessing and distribution of palm are a beauti- 
ful and significant ceremony. It takes place on Palm 
Sunday^ the Sunday immediately preceding the death 
of our Lord^ and is commemorative of His triumphant 
entry into Jerusalem. On that occasion, the people took 
palm leaves and branches of trees and strewed them 
before Him, while they shouted: ^^Hosannah, blessed 
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord/^ 

Palm is the emblem of victory. It has been used 
in this sense from time immemorial. But the Christ- 
ianas victory is through the passion^ death and resurrec- 
tion of Jesus. The blessed palm not only commemor- 
ates the memorable entry of our Lord into the city 
which He loved so much, but it reminds us of the final 
victory we must secure over sin and death. It has, 
therefore^ a deep meaning. 

Try to be present at the blessing and distribution of 
the palm. Eeceive it with reverence and devotion. If 
the people march in procession, it should be borne in 
the hand. It should also be borne in the hand at the 
gospel of the Mass at which it is distributed. 

It should be taken home and put in a becoming 
place. It is well to put it in the bed room or near a 
crucifix. It should be burned previous to receiving nesv 
palm. 



CAtHOLlC BELIEI' AND PRACtlCfi. 113 

EASTER WATER. 

During the last three days of holy week the ordinary 
holy water is taken from all the fonts in the church. 
They are filled again on Holy Saturday with what is 
called "Easter water/^ Baptismal water is blessed at 
the services held on Holy Saturday^ and before the oils 
are put into it^ a portion is kept out. This portion is 
the Easter water. The congregation are sprinkled with 
it, the fonts at the church doors are filled, and the peo- 
ple are advised to bring some of it home, and sprinkle 
their houses and the sick with it. 

It should be borne in mind that in taking this water 
home a small bottle holding about two or three ounces 
is amply sufficient. A regular holy water bottle should 
be used for this purpose. Every Catholic family should 
have one, and keep it in a becoming and convenient 
place. 

As the Liturgy of the Church is silent in reference 
to its use except on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, 
we may infer that it is not to be used at other times. 
Hence there is no necessity for taking away a large 
amount of it, or of preserving it for any length of time. 

To bless water specially for Easter is a significant 
custom and one well calculated to harmonize with the 
spirit of that time. Every thing speaks of a renewal, 
of purification^ of a cleansing from sin. The practices 
of the Church at this season of the year, among which 
the use of Easter water has a place, tend to bring about 
these results. 



Hi CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

AGNUS DEI. 

The words "Agnus Dei'^ mean Lamb of God. As 
known to Catholics, an Agnus Dei is a piece of blessed 
wax enclosed in a silken cover and worn about the 
person. 

This wax is blessed by the Pope the first year of his 
pontificate and every seventh year after. It is blessed 
on the Wednesday of -Easter week. It is distributed to 
the cardinals, bishops and prothonotaries on the Satur- 
day after being blessed, and through them finds its way 
throughout the Catholic world. It is called "Agnus 
Dei/' that is, Lamb of God, because when the wax is 
blessed it is shaped in the image of a lamb. 

The Agnus Dei must not be looked upon as a charm 
or spell or anything that of itself can ward off evil or 
bring good. It is a symbol of the lamb-like qualities 
of our Lord. It derives its efficacy solely from the 
blessing imparted to it and from the fact that it reminds 
us of Him who was referred to by sacred writers as the 
Lamb of God. 

There is no enrollment in it as is the case with the 
scapular. There is no indulgence attached to it; no 
prayer to be said under obligation; and no regulation 
as to the manner of wearing it. It may be suspended 
around the neck, or attached to the scapular, or carried 
about the person. 

It should be considered a sacred thing, emblematic 
of our Lord. The wearer should endeavor to imitate 
His virtues, but especially His meekness and humility 
which were so pronounced that the prophet compared 
Him to a "lamb without voice before his shearer.'^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 115 

IMAGES, STATUES AND PICTURES. 

Images^ statues and pictures of our Lord and the 
saints have an important place in the Catholic religion. 
They are means of enkindling devotion and arousing 
pious dispositions. Our nature is so constituted that 
we need something of the kind to fix the attention, to 
inspire love, to recall old memories, and to represent 
realities in vivid forms. 

We should remember, however, that they have no 
power of themselves to help us. To hold that they have 
would be superstitious and idolatrous. We do not pray 
to them; we always pray before them. Praying before 
a crucifix reminds us of the death of Christ, praying 
before a statue or picture of a saint reminds us of his 
glorious life and the virtues for which he was distin- 
guished. Should they be blessed, there is an efficacy in 
that blessing. They are then set aside as instruments 
of good. Thus they become helps to religion and devo- 
tion. 

There is nothing in the sacred Scriptures forbidding 
us to make or have around us either images^ statues or 
pictures, except for the purpose of adoring or serving 
them as false gods. What appears to be a prohibition 
in the first commandment must be taken in this sense. 
It only forbids the making of them for the purpose of 
adoring or serving them. The prohibition is expressed 
in these words: "Thou shalt not make to thyself a 
gi'aven thing nor the likeness of anything,^' but these 
words are qualified by "Thou shalt not adore them nor 
serve them.^^ So there is nothing in the Scriptures for- 



116 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

bidding them, while our nature seems to require them. 
It is an excellent thing to have religious picttwres in 
the home. They should be of such a kind as to repre- 
sent saintly characters, noble ideals, religious truths and 
virtuous traits of conduct. As they are intended to 
inspire love and reverence, the subjects should be elevat- 
ing and the workmanship of the very best. We have 
toe many pictures of the chromatic type which generally 
find their way into the obscure corners of the home. 
It is true that we cannot always have recognized works 
of art/ but we can secure very nice, artistic pictures of 
a religious character at little cost. Their influence can 
hardly be overestimated — especially on the young. The 
family may be scattered and the home destroyed^ but 
the associations that cluster around them are imperish- 
able. Every face and picture and room are hung 
securely on memory's wall and shall stay there through- 
out the vicissitudes of a lifetime. 



DEDICATION AND CONSECRATION OP 
CHURCHES. 

Churches are always blessed before being used as 
places of worship. If an edifice is to be occupied tem- 
porarily as a church, a simple blessing is given it. Any 
priest can perform this ceremony, but it should be done 
privately or with very little solemnity. When the edi- 
fice is to be used permanently as a church, a more 
solemn blessing is publicly given by the Bishop or by 
a priest duly delegated by him. The occasion calls for 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 117 

much more elaborate ceremonies than when the build- 
ing is to be used as a church only for a time. Most of 
our churches in this country belong to this class. 

When an edifice is to be used permanently as a 
church and the circumstances are such that there is no 
probability of its being used for other purposes than 
divine worship^ it may be dedicated by the most solemn 
rite of consecration. It should be built of durable ma- 
terial, such as brick or stone. Buildings constructed of 
wood or lumber cannot be consecrated. A consecrated 
church can never be diverted to profane or worldly use. 
The ceremony of consecration must be performed by the 
Bishop or by a priest specially delegated by the Su- 
preme Pontiff. It implies a most solemn and public 
blessing. Holy oil and chrism are used^ and the cere- 
monies are very elaborate. Twelve crosses are placed 
on the inside wall of the church about seven or eight 
feet from the floor. They may be painted on the wall 
or made of becoming material^ such as marble or metal, 
and fastened to the wall. Two are placed near the 
altar, one on each side; two more are placed near the 
door, one on each side; and four on each side of the 
church. Over them is a bracket for a candle, which 
must be lit during the day of consecration and the 
anniversaries of consecration. Two crosses are also 
placed on the outside, near the main entrance, one on 
each side. They are usually carved on the door jamb 
or fastened to it. Indulgences may be gained under 
the usual conditions by visiting the church on the day 
of its consecration and os th^ anniversaries of its con- 
secration, 



118 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICEu 



The blessing and consecration of churches have a 
deep significance. They mark them as sacred places 
given over to the worship of God. How great should 
be the reverence for the house wherein the mysteries of 
religion are celebrated and sacrifice is offered to the 
Most High. 



CROSSES AND CRUCIFIXES. 

The cross and crucifix are sacred in the eyes of 
Catholics. They are thought by many to mean the 
same, but there is a great difference between them. 

The cross is two beams placed transversely. It has 
no figure upon it, as is the case with the crucifix. There 
are many styles of these crosses, but it is our intention 
to enumerate only those in most common use. The ones 
most commonly known to us are the Latin^ the Greek, 
the Maltese and the lona. 

The Latin cross, the one most universally seen, has 
the transverse beam near the top, thus ^; the Greek 
cross has the transverse beam in the middle, thus +; 
the Maltese cross, which is the most ornamental, is 
formed by four triangles, whose apices meet in a com- 
mon centre, thus "i"; the cross of lona has a circle 
around the transverse beam, thus -^ . 

A crucifix (from crux, a cross, and figere, to fasten) 
is a cross with the image of Christ crucified upon it. 
The image is called the ^^corpus'^ or body. As indul- 
gences are attached to the corpus, it may be transferred 
to another cross without losing the indulgences. 



CATHOLIC BKLIEF AND PRACTICE. 119 

HOLY RELICS. 

A holy relic is something that belonged to, or had 
a connection with, our Lord or any of the saints. Three 
kinds of relics are recognized. The first is any part of 
a saint's body. This is a relic in the strictest sense of 
the word^ and is considered to possess in itself a degree 
of holiness^ because it was a part of a saintly person. 
The second kind is anything that belonged to him^ such 
as his clothing, books, rosary^ etc.^ and although these 
objects are of much less value than the former, they 
should be esteemed holy not in themselves, but on ac- 
count of their connection with a saintly person. The 
third kind is anything that had merely touched any 
part of the saint's body^ such as a piece of cloth that 
had come in contact with the bones of a saint or mar- 
tjT. This is a relic in a much broader sense than the 
two former. 

Eelics of the latter class are quite common, because 
it is not difficult to secure them. While relics of the 
first and second class are not rare, it is hard to secure 
them on account of the great care the Church exercises 
in preserving such sacred objects. 

In reference to the manner in which holy relics are 
to be held and regarded by Catholics, the Council of 
Trent says: ^^The sacred bodies of the martyrs and 
other saints, which were the living members of Christ, 
the temples of th^ Holy Ghost, and are to be raised up 
by Him to eternal life, and glorified, are to be held in 
veneration by the faithful; by them many benefits are 
bestowed by God on men/^ The veneration due to the 



120 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

bodies of the saints of God is founded^ therefore, on tho 
fact that they were living members of Christ^s mystical 
body, tabernacles of sanctifying grace, and temples of 
the Holy Spirit, and will be glorified and united to the 
soul in the Kingdom of the Just. 



SPECIAL DEVOTIONS. 

In the Catholic Church there is a great variety of 
devotions suitable to the various dispositions and needs 
of the multitudes of her children. These devotions are 
so many paths or ways by which we may approach God, 
the fountain of all grace and mercy. They are most 
excellent means for the acquisition of holiness and 
sanctity. 

Among those most commonly practiced and from 
which great good is derived we may mention the devo- 
tion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, 
St. Ann^ St. Anthony, the Holy Angels, our guardian 
angel^ the souls in Purgatory, and our patron saint. 
We should remember, however, that devotion to the 
saints and angels is subordinate to that rendered to any 
of the three divine Persons. All true devotion is cen- 
tered in Jesus Christ, and, therefore, that which refers 
to'^Eim or His sacred humanity is the most excellent. 
For this reason the first two here mentioned rank above 
all others in as much as they refer directly to our Lord. 

Most good Catholics have some special or particular 
devotion which they love to practice and to which they 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 121 

always turn for special favors or in moments of trouble^ 
danger or temptation. That devotion becomes to them 
a never failing source of help. Every Catholic should 
have such a devotion. It will give him great assistance, 
will impart confidence and courage^ and will help to 
keep alive a truly religious spirit. 

We should remember^ however^ that these special 
devotions are something over and above our religious 
duties. Their practice cannot be used as an excuse, for 
not fulfilling the plain obligations of religion or keeping 
the commandments of God or the precepts of morality. 



VESPERS. 



Vespers are a part of the divine Ofiice and are said 
in the afternoon or evening. They consist of psalms, 
canticles, and other passages taken from the Sacred 
Scriptures together with prayers and h}rmns authorized 
by the Church or selected from the Fathers. Though 
this part of the Office may be said privately, it is gener- 
ally sung publicly in our churches in the evenings of 
Sundays, holy days of obligation and other festivals. 
In rendering it the priest is assisted by the choir. As 
thus given, Vespers are a public evening song to God. 

The faithful have always been encouraged and urged 
to attend Vespers on every possible occasion. They 
should not only be present^ but should try to enter into 
the spirit which the service suggests. They are not 
bound to say any particular prayers, but it is a good 
thing to follow the servicer m tbQ prayer-book^ say the 



122 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Sosary, or give thanks to the divine bounty for the 
many favors bestowed. If congregational singing is 
customary, they should take part. They can, however, 
engage in any other devotional exercise they may choose. 
There is no obligation to attend Vespers in the 
sense that those who absent themselves without cause 
are guilty of sin, but there is an obligation upon all to 
attend in this sense^ that being an important service of 
the Churchy and being designed to afford the people an 
opportunity to publicly unite in singing the praises of 
God, attendance becomes a part of the work of saving 
our soul, and can not be neglected with impunity. 
Everybody should cultivate a habit of attending all the 
regular services in the church, or as many as possible, 
among which Vespers are most conspicuous. 



ATTITUDES AT VESPERS. 

During the singing of Vespers the following should 
be observed : When the priest enters the sanctuary, the 
congregation rise. They kneel when the priest kneels 
to say the first prayer, and stand while he sings the 
^^Deus in Adjutorium.^^ Then they sit during the sing- 
ing of the psalms. When the ^^Gloria Patri^^ is sung 
at the end of each psalm they bow the head. They 
stand during the chapter. If the priest stands or sits 
during the singing of the hymn, the congregation do 
likewise. They remain standing during the '^Magnifi- 
cat'^ and the prayers and responses that follow. The 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 123 

Antiphon to the Blessed Virgin is then sung, and ii 
the priest stands or sits during its rendition, the congre- 
gation should do the same. In ease Benediction of the 
Blessed Sacrament follows, as it generally does, they 
kneel when the priest comes before the altar, and remain 
so until the Blessed Sacrament is put back into the 
tabernacle. When the tabernacle door is closed, they 
rise and stand during the singing of the Laudate. 



BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is the bless- 
ing of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. The Sacred 
Host is exposed for a short time on the altar, during 
which the faithful present engage in acts of adoration, 
praise and thanksgiving, arid towards the end receive 
the blessing of the Blessed Sacrament. As Jesus Christ 
is really present in this rite in the Sacred Host, it is 
He who blesses. 

Usually Benediction follows Vespers, but not in- 
frequently it is given separately. The priest comes out 
in full vestments, goes up to the altar, opens the taber- 
nacle, takes out the Sacred Host and puts it in the 
Ostensorium or Monstrance which is placed on the altar 
or above the tabernacle in such a position as to be in 
full view of the congregation. The choir sing ^^0 Salu- 
taris Hostia'^ and ^Tantum Ergo.^^ These two hymns 
are always sung, and sometimes another hymn or litany 
between them. 



124 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 

When they are finished and the priest sings the 
prayer^ a white veil is placed over his shoulders. He 
ascends the steps of the altar, and taking the Osten- 
sorium and turning toward the people, gives the bene- 
diction by making with it the sign of the cross over the 
congregation. You should kneel all the time during the 
exposition, but at this moment you should be more pro- 
foundly reverent to receive the blessing of your Lord. 
The Sacred Host is i;hen put away, the congregation 
arise and remain standing during the singing of the 
Laudate. 

Attend this devotion as often as possible. The 
spiritual benefits are very great, as may be easily under- 
stood from the fact that you are in the presence of the 
eucharistic Christ. He there awaits the homage of His 
children, hears their devout prayers and gives them His 
blessing. To the good practical Catholic, there is noth- 
ing so touching and consoling, so full of encouragement 
and strength as this rite. There is something in it 
which softens the hardest sinner, which warms the cold- 
est heart, which makes the indifferent fervent, and the 
weak strong; something so heavenly that we always 
come away from this beautiful service richer in love and 
mercy and goodness, richer in everything that makes 
for Heaven, than when we entered. To be present at 
Benediction is like sitting for a time in the company of 
Jesus and conversing with Him. It is a moment of 
divine companionship, and it brings into our lives a 
spiritual wealth, which never could come by any other 
means, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AlSTD PRACTICE. 125 

FORTY HOURS' ADORATION. 

The Forty Hours^ Adoration is a public devotion to 
the Blessed Sacrament. The Sacred Host is placed in a 
Monstrance or Ostensorium^ and exposed on or above 
the altar for the silent adoration of the .faithful. It 
remains there for forty hours in memory of the time 
during which the body of our Lord remained in the 
sepulchre. This devotion is regulated in such a way 
that the exposition generally takes place in each diocese 
in a continuous succession from one church to another 
throughout the year. Thus our Lord is being constantly 
adored publicly by the faithful. For various reasons 
it is permissible in this country to replace the Host in 
the tabernacle during the two intervening nights^ so 
that where this is done it is not exposed for the full 
forty hours. 

It originated in Milan about the year 1534 during 
a plague that scourged that city; was introduced into 
Eome in 1548 by St. Philip ISTeri; and from this centre 
of religion it spread throughout the world. 

Besides being a devotion that directly refers to our 
Lord, it is enriched with many indulgences. A plenary 
indulgence upon the usual conditions of confession, 
Communion and prayers for the intention of the Holy 
Father, may be gained by all those who visit the church 
during the adoration, and shall spend some time in 
prayer. A partial indulgence of seven years and as 
many quarantines may be gained once each day by 
those who visit the Blessed Sacrament, and remain some 
time in prayer. 



126 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

When the Sacred Host is thus exposed, it must be 
given supreme adoration^ as it contains the body and 
blood of Christ. Hence persons must make a profound 
genuflection on both knees when coming into the church, 
when leaving it, and in passing before the altar where 
the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. Do not make this 
genuflection at the church door, but wait till you come 
to the pew you are to occupy, and make it at the pew 
when leaving. If there are large crowds in the aisles, 
* make it in the pew. 

This devotion is one of the most excellent practiced 
by Catholics as its object is our Lord in the Sacrament 
of His love. Our Savior is really present. He awaits 
the homage and hears the devout supplications of all. 
There is no greater means to strengthen faith, enkindle 
love and create enthusiasm in divine things. 

Every Catholic in the parish should visit the church 
during this holy time, and spend some time in adoration 
and prayer. It is an excellent thing to go to confession 
and receive Holy Communion. A lively interest should 
be shown in its occurrence. As it is usually customary 
to donate flowers or contribute towards the decoration 
of the altar, the privilege of thus enriching the abiding 
place of our Lord should be readily accepted. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 127 

THE ROSARY. 

The Eosary of St. Dominic, which is the one in most 
common use, is a form of prayer to the Mother of God 
said on beads. It consists of one hundred and fifty 
"Hail Marys/^ fifteen "Our Fathers/^ and fifteen 
"Glories.^^ These are divided into three chaplets, and 
each chaplet is divided into five decades. Each decade 
consists of ten Hail Marys and is begun by an Our 
Father and ended with a Glory. The recitation of the 
chaplets is usually preceded by the Apostles Creed to- 
gether with one Our Father and three Hail Marys for 
an increase of faith, hope and charity. While strictly 
speaking the Eosary consists of three chaplets, one of 
them or five decades may be said at a time. 

The beads are used for the purpose of counting the 
Our Fathers and Hail Marys. The indulgences are at- 
tached to the beads, and are intended for one person 
only. If their owner gives these beads away or sells 
them, they lose the indulgences. If the chain of a 
rosary is broken and can be mended again, or if a few 
beads are lost, or if the beads are re-strung on another 
chain the indulgences remain. When many sets are 
blessed together, it is understood that each is blessed for 
the one who is to become the owner and who has gra- 
tuitously received it for the first time. For instance, 
a person may have several sets blessed, not with the in- 
tention of using them all himself, but with the intention 
of giving them to others. While these persons are not 
specified, it is understood that they are blessed for that 
one to whom he gratuitously gives a set and who uses 



I2d CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

it for the first time. If the real owner gives them away 
or sells them or loses them beyond recovery, they lose 
the indulgences. If^ however^ they are given to another 
merely to accommodate him to count his beads and not 
to gain the indulgences^ they do not lose the indul- 
gences. The idea is that while they are attached to the 
beads they are personal. If a person wishes to use beads 
that are found they should be re-blessed. 

To gain the indulgences it is necessary to meditate 
on the most holy mysteries of our faith. These mys- 
teries are classified as joyful, sorrowful and glorious. 
The first or joyful mysteries are: first, the annuncia- 
tion; second, the visitation; third, the nativity of our 
Lord; fourth, the presentation of our Lord in the tem- 
ple; and fifth, the finding of our Lord in the temple. 
The sorrowful mysteries are: first, the agony in the 
garden; second, the scourging at the pillar; third, the 
crowning with thorns ; fourth, the carrying of the cross ; 
and fifth, the crucifixion. The glorious mysteries are: 
first, the resurrection; second, the ascension; third, the 
coming of the Holy Ghost; fourth, the assumption of 
the Blessed Virgin; and fifth, the coronation of the 
Blessed Virgin in Heaven. Those who cannot meditate 
can gain the indulgences by devoutly reciting the 
Eosary. 

Another condition for gaining the indulgences is 
that the beads must be held in the hand and used in 
the customary way while reciting the prayers. When, 
however, two or more recite them together it suffices for 
one to hold the rosary beads to regulate its recital and 
the others, laying aside all other occupation, shall com- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 129 

port themselves respectfully while praying with the one 
who holds the beads. 

The Eosary is a beautiful form of prayer^ and all 
Catholics should be familiar with it. They should have 
a set of rosary beads, carry it with them^ and be 
acquainted with the scope and meaning of the above 
mysteries. Most prayer-books point out not only the 
manner of reciting it^ but give short meditations on the 
different mysteries. It is a most useful family devotion^ 
and should not be given up in the home. 



THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS. 

The Stations of the Cross are a devotional exercise, 
by which the participants follow our Lord in a maimer 
through His passion and meditate on the most prom- 
inent features of it. By His passion are understood the 
time that elapsed and the scenes or events intervening 
between His bloody sweat in the garden of Gethsemani 
and His death upon the cross. 

There has always been a great desire on the part of 
the faithful to go over the same ground and meditate 
on what took place during the last moments of our 
Lord^s stay on earth. The custom of doing this first 
arose among the people of Jerusalem, and was probably 
begun by the Blessed Virgin herself. Afterwards pil- 
grims from all over the world flocked to Jerusalem Tor 
this purpose. But as the distance was far and many 
could not go, the idea of journeying in spirit through 



130 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

tlie passion was conceived and introduced into Spain. 
The most important scenes of tlie passion were typified 
by stations or little chapels which served to recall in a 
vivid manner the actual occurrences. From there the 
practice was introduced into Italy, and thence spread 
throughout the Catholic world. 

In our churches the passion scenes are represented 
generally by pictures or groups of statuary figures, 
fourteen in number^ each portraying a particularly sad 
scene in our Lord^s way to Calvary. As he journeyed 
from place to place, the devotion is more properly called 
the ^Way of the Cross/^ In imitation of His Journey 
we go around the church. 

To make the Stations of the Cross, therefore, is to 
go around the church, stop at the different pictures or 
stations, say appropriate prayers and meditate on the 
event which that picture or station conveys to the mind. 
It is following in spirit our divine Savior in the last 
trying moments of His earthly career. 

In performing this devotion we must move from 
station to station^ and make a short meditation on the 
subject which each represents. This is not necessary 
when a number make it publicly together. One goes 
around the stations while the others remain in their 
places. The necessary prayers and meditations are 
found in all prayer books. To gain the indulgences, the 
regular prayers for the intention of the Holy Father 
must be said at the end — generally five Our Fathers 
and Hail Marys and the Glory be to the Father, etc. 

There are crucifixes specially blessed by those who 
have the authority, which are intended for the sick or 



^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 131 

those who cannot come to the church. By holding such 
a crucifix in the hand and reciting the Our Father, Hail 
Mary and the Glory twenty times, and at the same time 
meditating on the passion, the indulgences may be 
gained. Fourteen of these are for the stations proper, 
five in honor of the five wounds of our Lord, and one 
for the intention of the Holy Father. 



THE SCAPULAR. 

Scapular is a Latin word meaning shoulder. It was 
applied to a garment worn over the shoulders and com- 
ing down nearly to the ground. Some Eeligious Orders, 
notably the Carmelites, wear such a style of habit. The 
religious scapular of today is a s)rmbol of the above 
shoulder garment. It consists of two pieces of cloth 
attached by two strings or pieces of tape, and worn 
over the shoulders in such a manner that one of the 
pieces comes on the breast and the other on the back. 
There are a number of these scapulars, but the one in 
most common use and worn by almost every Catholic 
in honor of the Mother of God is that of our Lady of 
Mt. Carmel, known as the brown scapular. It is an 
abridgment of the Carmelite shoulder garment. It 
originated in a vision of the Mother of God to St. Simon 
Stock, and she promxised great spiritual favors to those 
who would wear it. Besides her special assistance and 
protection, she promised that whoever should wear it 
would not suffer the punishment of eternal fire. 



132 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Any Catholic can be invested with it, even little 
children. But it is customary to invest children with 
it on the occasion of their first Communion or Con- 
firmation. 

To gain the advantages derived from the brown 
scapular, it must be of the prescribed form and ma- 
terial, that is, square or oblong in shape, and made of 
brown woolen cloth or a color similar to brown; it 
must be blessed and the person enrolled in the Confra- 
ternity of the Scapular by a priest having the power, 
and the name of the person enrolled sent to the Carme- 
lite Fathers in Eome; and it must be worn constantly. 
Taking it off when necessary, if replaced again, does not 
forfeit the benefits. If it be laid aside for a time, 
either through carelessness or indifference, and the per- 
son afterwards wishes to assume it he may do so with- 
out a new enrollment. If, however, it has been laid 
aside through contempt or impiety or with the intention 
of abandoning it or so long that the memory of it has 
ceased, a new enrollment is safer. If it be lost or worn 
out, procure a new one, and without having it blessed 
and without a new enrollment, put it on and wear it. 
It is not necessary to bless a new scapular. 

The spiritual benefits accruing from this scapular 
are so many that a mere mention of them can be made 
here. 

1. The special protection of the Mother of God, 
especially at the hour of death. She promised that 
those who wear this her livery at the hour of death shall 
not suffer Hell's fire. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 133 

2. A participation in all the good works of the 
Carmelite Order and of the Church. Deceased mem- 
bers of the Confraternity of the Scapular share in the 
fruits of all Masses and prayers offered up for them by 
this Order which are many. 

3. The gaining of a great number of indulgences. 



CHURCHING WOMEN. 

A short time after the birth of our Lord, his blessed 
Mother went to the temple and submitted to the Mosaic 
law of purification. Though she was not obliged to 
comply with the law, she did so, even to the extent of 
making the customary offering. 

In imitation of her conduct, Catholic mothers pre- 
sent themselves at the church and receive a blessing in 
thanksgiving for a happy delivery. It is supposed to be 
their first visit to the church after child-birth, and hence 
the blessing is called "churching.^^ But it is not neces- 
sary to receive it the first time they come to the church, 
nor is there any obligation to receive it at all. It does 
not bind under the pain of the least sin, because there is 
absolutely no defilement in Christian motherhood. 

Since there is no obligation requiring mothers to 
seek it, if a notable period has elapsed since child-birth, 
it is just as well to let it go. It is, however, a great and 
public act of thanksgiving^ and, therefore a pious and 
beneficial practice. It cannot be given at the home. 



134 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

According to the rubrics^ the woman, bearing a 
lighted candle, presents herself at the door of the 
churchy where she is met by the priest, and after pre- 
liminary prayers, she is admitted to the church, and 
comes before the altar where the blessing is given. 

But with US it is customary for the woman to come 
direct to the altar-rail where the priest meets her and 
performs the ceremony. She should hold a blessed 
candle in her hand and' should kiss the stole when pre- 
sented to her. If an offering is customary, she should 
make one. The Mother of God made one. 



THE LITANIES. 



Litany is derived from the Greek, and means a pious 
supplication or an ardent prayer to God to hear us or 
to the saints to intercede for us. Thus, the words, 
"Lord, have mercy on us,'^ constitute a litany^ and the 
same is true in regard to the words, "Holy Mary, pray 
for us.^^ 

Each supplication is a litany, though the supplica- 
tions may be arranged in the form of a set. Such a set 
is always referred to in the Liturgy in the plural^ be- 
cause it is made up of many litanic invocations, but in 
the English it is customary to refer to it in the singular. 

If we except those contained in the Bible, the Church 
has approved of only five litanies. These are the Litany 
of the Saints, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, or of 
Loretto as it is commonly called, the Litany of the 
Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, 



;;^ij&*'.rp,: 



^^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 



135 



and the Litany of St. Joseph. She has not approved of 
any other, nor does she allow any other to be used in 
her public services. There are a large number of other 
litanies in common use, and though the Church does 
not sanction them^ she does not prohibit their private 
use if found in duly authorized prayer books. 

The most striking features of the litanies are the 
constant repetition and the distinction between the in- 
vocations to God or any of the three divine Persons^ 
and those to the saints. In reference to the former^ 
God or the saints are invoked a number of times under 
different titles, mystical figures and favorite appella- 
tions. It cannot be doubted that this form of prayer 
is pleasing to God, for the Old Testament abounds in 
it, and our Lord approved of and recommended it. A 
notable example is the parable of the man who in the 
middle of the night importuned his neighbor to arise 
and lend him loaves of bread. Another example is the 
blind man who sat by the way begging. He kept cry- 
ing out^ ^^Jesus^ Son of David^ have mercy on me,^^ until 
our Lord heeding his constant repetitions^ turned to 
him and restored his sight. The latter feature is the 
sharp distinction between an invocation to God and one 
to the saints. God is always beseeched to have mercy 
on us, to hear us^ to help us, while the saints are always 
asked to pray and make intercession for us. The dis- 
tinction expresses a fundamental doctrine in Catholic 
teaching. 

The litanies should be a favorite form of prayer. 
It is an excellent custom to add one of them, especially 
the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, to our morning or 



136 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

evening prayers. It is well, also^ to recite the Litany of 
the Saints at such times as the Church requires it to be 
said in her public offices, namely, the Ember Days, Eo- 
gation Days, Ordination Days, and the feast of St. 
Mark, April 25th. To make reparation for blasphemy, 
bad language and cursing, the Litany of the Holy 
Name, or of the Sacred Heart, can be said. They will 
be found to be sources of great spiritual blessings. 



MAY DEVOTIONS. 

The month of May is dedicated to the Mother of 
God. She is the most exalted and beautiful of God^s 
creatures, and it is highly becoming that the most beau- 
tiful and promising period of the year should be dedi- 
cated to her memory. Devotion to her dates back to 
the time when she became the Mother of our Savior, and 
has been practiced with more or less intensity ever since, 
and will continue as long as He is acknowledged Lord 
and Master. 

This is inevitable in view of her relations with In- 
finity and our conception of the sacredness of mother- 
hood. But the custom of concentrating and intensifying 
these devotions during the month of May is of recent 
date. It was introduced into the English speaking 
world about a half century ago by an Italian Father. 
It was never formally approved by the Church, though 
it was permitted and encouraged in various ways. Pius 
VII, in a brief dated 1815 granted indulgences to those 
who would practice these devotions. 



"^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 137 

Thus within comparatively recent times the practice 
of May devotions to the Blessed Virgin has sprung up 
among us. They have lately assumed marvelous pro- 
portions, which would indicate that, aside from their 
intrinsic worth, they are popular and are looked upon 
as forces in awakening religious fervor. They are not 
marked by anything very new or special^ but are rather 
an ensemble of old prayers and practices. They gener- 
ally consist of public prayers^ decorating her altar with 
flowers, singing hymns in her honor, reciting the Eosary 
or saying the Litany of Loretto daily in the church dur- 
ing the month of May. 

The month of May encourages closer relations with 
her who has the sublime and sacred title of Mother of 
God. It is well; for next to our Lord and at His right 
hand she stands the peerless advocate of mankind, the 
staunch protectress of virtue^ the merciful mother of 
every soul who deigns to call upon her name. There are 
no two Mediators ; there is only One^ Christ our Lord ; 
but it would be foolish to say that others of tested 
virtue cannot supplicate this Mediator, and through 
His merits claim recognition before the throne of Om- 
nipotence. And who has more influence with the Son 
than the Mother? 

No saint stands in the same plane with the Virgin 
Mother. While this is true, we do not pay her divine 
worship ; we do not consider her clothed with any power 
in herself ; whatever power she possesses is the free gift 
of God and the results of the operation of divine grace. 
She is only a human creature, but raised by God to the 
heights of perfection. Hence we never ask her to have 



138 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

mercy on us^ but always to pray for us. We do^ how- 
ever, believe that she is the real Mother of God and all 
that that sacred title implies; we do hold that she was 
a sinless, virginal creature who now occupies the high- 
est place in Heaven next to our Lord, and the Church 
will defend all the consequences that flow from this 
heavenly exaltation. 



CONFRATERNITIES AND SODALITIES. 

A confraternity is a pious organization established 
by proper ecclesiastical authority. If other confrater- 
nities are affiliated with it, it is called an arch-confrater- 
nity. There are a large number of them^ and they are 
the means of an incalculable amount of good. They 
are enriched with indulgences to such an extent that in 
many cases it is difficult to compute them. Among 
these best known are the Confraternities of the Kosary, 
of the Brown Scapular, of the Blessed Virgin, of the 
Apostleship of Prayer in league with the Sacred Hearty 
of St. Vincent de Paul, of the Holy Childhood, etc. 

Besides these confraternities, there are in almost 
every parish sodalities which are pious associations estab- 
lished to meet the needs and requirements of different 
classes of people, or to carry on certain lines of work. 
It cannot be denied that they are the means of accom- 
plishing much good, and on this account they should 
receive the support of the people. 

The most important are the children's organizations, 



t^^r^^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 139 

namely, the Children of Mary for the girls and the St. 
Aloysius^ Sodality for the boys. The girls and boys be- 
longing to them receive a training they are not liable 
to forget. They go to confession and receive Holy Com- 
munion monthly, attend Mass regularly^ are governed 
by most salutary rules, and in most places have a library 
of choice and well selected books. Parents should be 
particular to see that their children belong to them. 

There are numerous other societies and sodalities 
organized for religious, social, fraternal, literary^ benev- 
olent and temperance work. While people are left at 
liberty to join any approved association, they are espec- 
ially encouraged to belong to such as are purely relig- 
ious in character. Select those best suited to your 
needs and in which you can do the most good. Do not 
belong to too many and as a consequence liable not to 
take an interest in any of them. Select one or two that 
are favored by the pastor, and be good, active members. 
Observe the rules, go to Communion on appointed days, 
attend the meetings regularly and be model sodalists 
in every particular. A great many lasting benefits will 
thus be gained. 

An organization has a wonderful influence for regu- 
larity and enthusiasm. You may say 3^ou can be just 
as good without belonging to any sodality, but experi- 
ence teaches the contrary. You may also maintain that 
you can go to the Sacraments monthly without Ueing a 
member of any society, but you will fail to do it. You 
may go for two or three months and then a trifling 
excuse will cause you to miss. The organization has a 
staying power. It begets ardor and enthusiasm in re- 



140 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ligious affairs, — which are so much needed at present, 
for we live amidst conditions that are unfavorable to 
true religious fervor and devotion. Join a sodality and 
be good, loyal members. 



FORBroDEN SOCIETIES. 

There are certain societies which are condemned 
by the Church and to which Catholics are not allowed to 
belong. The Church condemns them because they are 
inimical to sound faith and opposed to her authority. 
Some of these organizations are named by the Church, 
and for this reason are said to be ^^nominally'^ con- 
demned. The societies nominally condemned and most 
active in this country are the Free Masons^ the Odd 
Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Sons of Tem- 
perance. 'No Catholic can belong to any of these 
societies. 

There are other condemned societies which, though 
their names are not mentioned, may be known from the 
application of the following rules : 

1. All societies are forbidden which profess ration- 
alism or naturalism as opposed to revealed Christianity. 

2. If any society's obligation be such as to ^TDind 
its members to secrecy, even when rightly questioned 
by competent authority^ then no one can be a member 
of it and at the same time be admitted to the Sacra- 
ments of the Catholic Church.^^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, Ul 

3. The same is true of any organization that %inds 
its members to a promise of blind obedience to accept in 
advance and to obey whatever orders, lawful or unlaw- 
ful, that may emanate from its chief authority^ because 
such a promise is contrary both to reason and to con- 
science/^ 

4. "If a society works or plots, either openly, or in 
secret^ against the Churchy or against lawful authorities, 
then to be a member of it is to be excluded from the 
membership of the Catholic Church/^ (Pastoral Let- 
ter, Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, Dec. 7, 1884.) 

5. "If a society, besides being secret and oath- 
bound, has a chaplain of its own, and a ritual prescrib- 
ing prayers and religious services, then such a society 
becomes also heretical and schismatical, and members 
cannot be counted any more as Catholics.'^ (Third 
Plenary Council of Baltimore, Chap. III., Sec. 349.) 



A MISSION. 



A mission is a period of time partly devoted to relig- 
ious exercises. It is intended for the mass of the peo- 
ple who have to perform their accustomed work and 
pursue their regular avocations. 

The exercises are generally held in the morning, 
afternoon and evening at such a time as to best accom- 
modate the congregation. These exercises are con- 
ducted by missionary Fathers who have been trained 



142 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

for their work for years and have a vast amount of 
experience in dealing with all classes. They come to a 
parish for the special purpose of preaching the great 
truths of salvation without fear or favor, of straighten- 
ing out the accounts of the soul, and arousing zeal and 
fervor in the practice of religion. Sinners are thus re- 
claimed, the lukewarm aroused, and the good en- 
couraged to become more perfect. 

A mission is^ therefore, a most efficacious means of 
strengthening faith, eradicating evil and increasing vir- 
tue. Its benefits are so great that every one should be 
careful to make the missions which are from time to 
time given in the parish church. Many may be able to 
turn them into retreats by taking a vacation from their 
business affairs and devoting the time exclusively to the 
affairs of the soul. If all the time cannot be so spent, 
then as much as possible, by punctually attending the 
exercises^ listening attentively to the sermons and being 
as recollected as circumstances will permit. 

It should be borne in mind that missionary Fathers 
have no object in view except to make you see yourself 
as God sees you. Their preaching would be useless if 
intended merely to please the ear and delight the imag- 
ination. Their sermons are strong, practical instruc- 
tions on the truths of religion and morality. They must 
come home to every one by baring his faults, habits and 
sins. Regard them as such. Do not blame the mis- 
sionary Father for preaching in such a manner, nor the 
pastor for allowing him to so preach, but blame your- 
selves for allowing yourselves to be vulnerable in so 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. U3 

many places. Profit by their sermons^ and resolve to 
do better. 

The most beneficial results of a mission are a care- 
ful examination of conscience, a good confession and a 
worthy Holy Communion. Be most careful about the 
examination of conscience. A good confession depends 
upon it. Go into the accounts of the soul with earnest- 
ness. Be honest with God and yourself. Eectify what 
is wrong at any cost. Take some good resolutions and 
keep them. Do not be a ^"^mission Catholic/^ that is, 
one who makes a mission and then neglects the practice 
of religion and the reception of the Sacraments until 
another mission is given. 

It is a good thing to begin the examination of con- 
science early so as to be prepared to go to confession 
early. Do not delay confession to the last moment, be- 
cause the limited time may prevent your making a good 
one. 



A RETREAT. 



A retreat is a period of time devoted exclusively and 
silently to prayer^ meditation and religious devotions. 
It is a practical withdrawal from the affairs of the world 
and a close union of the soul with God. It differs from 
a mission is as much as the time is entirely taken up 
with religious exercises, and from a triduum in as much 
as it is more formal and not limited to three days. 
Eetreats are of various durations, but generally last a 
week or eight days. 



144 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

The practice of making at least an occasional retreat 
is a most excellent one. St. Ignatius says: "I do not 
know, nor can I conceive a more effectual means of 
sanctifying oneself than the exercises of a spiritual 
retreat.^^ No greater opportunity can be given for 
renewed activity in the service of God and the salvation 
of our soul than that which a retreat affords. 

While missions, triduums and novenas are frequently 
made by people in the world, retreats are seldom made 
by the public on account of the impossiblity of a very 
large number being able to devote their entire time to 
them. But many should be willing to do something 
extraordinary to counteract the extraordinary forces 
that are drifting them away from religion. The activity 
of the world is so strenuous^ temptations to evil so strong 
and real religious influences so weak that the majority of 
people pursuing their daily avocations are liable to be- 
come cold and indifferent towards, if not openly defiant 
of, the teachings of religion and the precepts of mor- 
ality. The conditions that prevail in our midst are of 
such a character as to cool the most fervent piety, shake 
the firmest resolutions, and overcome the stoutest hearts 
unless something be done toward effecting a closer union 
with God. 

Priests and religious have their annual retreats. 
While it is not so easy for the faithful at large to do 
this, still a good many could, if they made an earnest 
effort, turn the missions that are given from time to 
time in their parish chnrches into retreats by taking a 
vacation from work and in silence, meditation and 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 145 

prayer devoting the time exclusively to spiritual mat- 
ters. 



A NOVENA. 



Novena is a pure Latin word and means nine. As 
known to Catholics, it means a devotion consisting of 
prayers said or religious exercises held each day for 
nine days. Great latitude is allowed in the form^ dura- 
tion and nature of these prayers and exercises. They 
may be long or short, public or private, or assume such 
a character as to best suit the tastes of those who make 
them^ provided they are said or held each day for nine 
days. JSTovenas range in their nature from a simple 
prayer said once each day for nine days to the grand 
public functions of religion held in the church. The 
prayer book gives a variety of forms which may be fol- 
lowed. Any action^ however, which has a religious 
character may be performed, such as receiving Holy 
Communion^ visiting a church, going to Mass, having 
Masses said^ etc. 

A novena is made for the purpose of more worthily 
celebrating a feast or mystery of religion or of com- 
memorating a certain event. As there is no obligation 
in making it, it does not imply the obligation of going 
to confession or Communion, but it is an excellent cus- 
tom to receive Holy Communion on the feast day, or 
tenth day from the beginning of the novena. The 
novena itself ends the day before. 

It is highly recommended to make a novena in honor 



14t) CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

of favorite saints, or in times of anxiety and trouble^ 
or when we wish to secure some special favor from 
Almighty God. 



A TRIDUUM. 



Tridunm is a Latin word for three days. As a 
religions term it means a devotion or special spiritual 
exercises of three days^ duration. It has much in com- 
mon with a novena; both are intended as a preparation 
for the more worthy celebration of some feast, or as 
means of securing favors from Almighty God, or as 
simple works of piety. 

There is great latitude allowed in the nature of the 
exercises of a triduum or of the works performed. They 
range from a practical three days' retreat to a single 
prayer said each day for three days. Most prayer books 
give a number of forms which may be followed. Be- 
sides these forms, triduums may be made by hearing 
Masses^ having Masses said, visiting churches or per- 
forming any good acts according to the taste or desire 
of those making them. It should be begun in time to 
end the day before the feast for which it is intended to 
be a preparation. A triduum may be made when time 
will not permit the making of a novena. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. HI 

THE PARISH. 

People should take a pride in their parish church and 
co-operate with the clergy in whatever pertains to its 
welfare and support. They should show by their assist- 
ance that they are interested in what is of such vital 
importance to their religion. The more interest parish- 
ioners take in their church, the closer they are drawn 
to it and the better Christians they become. 

Baptisms, marriages and funerals must take place 
from the parish church. Also all sick calls must be 
attended from it. Catholics, however, are allowed free- 
dom in the choice of a confessor. 

One of the most baneful spiritual features of city 
life is moving into and out of parishes. The results of 
this constant moving about are that people scarcely ever 
get acquainted with the clergy and never become 
attached to any church. The clergy are known only 
because seen at the altar, and the church is frequented 
without enthusiasm. How deeply attached to a church 
are those who consider it a home, who have worked for 
it, who have the old family pew for years, who have 
begged, solicited, prayed for it! Such attachment re- 
sults in making them better, more loyal and more faith- 
ful. 

And although moving from one place to another 
cannot be eliminated, its evils can to an extent be min- 
imized. This can be done by making yourself known 
when moving into a new locality. First inquire for 
your parish church. Many give the excuse that they 
miss Mass because they do not know where the church 



148 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTlCEl. 

is located. Become acquainted with the pastor or 
clergy as soon as possible. If you have children give 
their names and ages. Lend your assistance to what 
is being done in the parish, affiliate yourself, and espec- 
ially the children, with the sodalities or church organi- 
zations^ join any movement that has the sanction of the 
pastor, send your children to the school^, and it is 
wonderful how quickly you will become interested in 
your new home. 

It is a courtesy to first call on the pastor when com- 
ing into a parish, as well as to tell him when you are 
leaving. If you have a pew it is only just to inform the 
one who has charge of the pews that you discontinue its 
rental. It frequently happens that the only notice 
received in this regard is when the pastor or sexton is 
informed after six months or a year that the party has 
moved out of the parish. 



THE CHURCH AND THE CLERGY. 

In this country the Church must be maintained and 
the clergy supported by the gratuitous offerings of the 
faithful. They willingly contribute toward erecting 
churches, building schools and providing a livelihood 
for their pastors. They are all the better for doing this 
noble work^ — giving of their hard earned means to ad- 
vance the cause of their religion. It is now absolutely 
necessary to have good churches, to have them well kept 
and in good condition^ so that the people will take a 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 149 

just pride in them. Too much cannot be done to make 
a becoming home in our midst for the real presence of 
our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and it should be 
sufficiently attractive to induce the faithful to take 
delight in visiting Him and offering Him their prayers 
and supplications. 

To have churches of such a character and in such 
condition certainly requires money. Few have little 
idea of the expenses incurred in connection with main- 
taining a large church. But they must be maintained 
at any cost, for not only the glory of God^ but the good 
of religion and the salvation of souls depend upon it. 

Catholics should, therefore^ take the liveliest interest 
in everything pertaining to the welfare of their parish 
church. Families should have a family pew, and single 
persons should have a seat in their church. 

All can contribute to the various collections either 
taken up on Sundays or on special occasions and should 
lend their assistance towards the success of anything 
going on in the parish. And they will be better for 
doing it. It will draw out what is best in their nature ; 
it will give them a pride in their church; it will give 
them the consciousness of helping to advance the cause 
of Christ and make His name a living force among them. 
Let everyone do his share and contribute his mite and 
take an interest in what is being done. Whatever you 
give, give it willingly and cheerfully. 

But never stay away from church because you have 
not the customary offering, nor from the priest's house 
because of adverse circumstances in life. The church is 
full of God^s poor; Christ came to preach to the poor; 



150 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

He loved to work among the poor^ and His priests are 
working among the poor to this day. Give if you can, 
give cheerfully and be conscientious about it ; but let no 
earthly conditions induce you for a moment to give up 
the practice of your religion. 



THE PAROCHIAL IDEA. 

The parish is an integral part of the organization 
of the Catholic Church. Practically the whole Catholic 
world is divided into districts presided over by a pastor ; 
a number of these districts are presided over by a 
Bishop; and all of them presided over by the Holy 
Father. These districts are called parishes^ and herein 
lies the parochial idea. 

The pastor is given certain rights in the parish he 
presides over^ in order that he may be encouraged to 
work. But he has duties to perform. He is held 
responsible for the good of religion in his parish, must 
build it up^ must manage it, must see that all things 
necessary for the parishioners to practice their religion 
are there. 

The parishioners, too^ have rights in their parish 
church: the right to worship there, and to fulfill their 
other religious obligations; but they, too, have duties 
to perform towards it. They must be obedient to their 
pastor, and help to build up and maintain the church 
and school according to their means. If they do not do 
this they are out of harmony with the idea at the bot- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 151 

torn of their Churches organization. That happens 
when they stay away, when they go to another church, 
or when they do not support it the way good^ loyal 
Catholics should. If they have rights which they like 
to enjoy, they also have duties which they must per- 
form. 

Working along on parochial lines, the Church has 
been built up. She says to each and every pastor in 
America : ^^I will give you a small district and I want 
you to work there. Establish the Church there, do your 
duty, and I will not take it away from you.^' There are 
the rights and there also are the duties. She also says to 
the people of that parish: ^That church is yours, 
yours to worship in and to perform your other religious 
obligations, but you must support it and be loyal to it 
by your presence and assistance.^^ 



CATHOLIC EDUCATION. 

It is now a settled policy of the Church in America 
to build and maintain schools for the education of 
Catholic children. The necessity of establishing a 
Catholic school system grew out of an essential defect 
in the public school system. That defect is the pro- 
hibition of teaching religion of any kind. 

Catholics must dissent from such a prohibition, for 
experience proves that the youth must be taught relig- 
ion for the proper upbuilding of Christian character. 
If it does not find a place in the regular curriculum of 



152 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 

studies, the youth will grow into manhood or woman- 
hood without a proper conception of their duties 
towards God and without a sufficient understanding of, 
and submissive obedience to, the laws of God and His 
divine commands, which will inevitably lead to irrelig- 
ion, dishonesty and immorality in public and private 
life. The results will certainly be disastrous. 

The Church earnestly desires to guard the rising 
generation against such evils. No greater misfortune 
could happen to them than to be educated outside the 
influences of sound Christian belief and conduct. Ke- 
cognizing the baneful effects of an irreligious education, 
the Third Baltimore Council ordered and decreed the 
following : 

1. A parish school must be erected and perpetually 
supported near every church, within two years from the 
promulgation of the decrees of this Council, unless the 
Bishop should consider it can be delayed for a time for 
grave reasons. 

2. Any pastor who within this time shall have pre- 
vented the erection and support of this school by his 
grave neglect, or who will not heed the admonition of 
his Bishop in the matter, will be subject to removal 
from his parish. 

3. A mission or parish which so neglects to assist 
the priest in the building and support of the school, that 
through their sheer neglect it can not be kept up, shall 
be reproved and reprimanded by the Bishop, who will 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 153 

take prudent and efficacious measures for its necessary 
support in the future. 

4. All Catholic parents must send their children to 
the parochial schools, unless they otherwise provide 
sufficiently and plainly^ either at home or in some other 
Catholic school, for their Christian education. If, for 
one reason or another^ permission is given to any chil- 
dren to attend other schools, the parents of such chil- 
dren must provide against all possible danger to their 
morals and faith; and the reason for sending them to 
those schools must be satisfactory to the Bishop. 

The Fathers of the same Council in their pastoral 
letter said : ^^Education^ in order to be sound and pro- 
duce beneficial results, must develop what is best in 
man, and make him not only clever, but good. A one- 
sided education will develop a one-sided life; and such a 
life will surely topple over, and so will every social sys- 
tem that is built up of such lives. Take away religion 
from the people, and morality will soon follow ; morality 
gone, even their physical condition will ere long degen- 
erate into the corruption that breeds decrepitude, while 
their intellectual attainments would only serve as a light 
to guide them to deeper depths of vice and ruin.^^ 

Parents should heed their voice by helping to build 
and support Catholic schools and by sending their chil- 
dren to them so that the little ones may not be robbed 
of their Christian rights. They should co-operate with 
the pastor in any plans which he may think proper for 
the benefit of Catholic education in the parish. The 
help and co-operation of all Catholic people are needed 



154 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

in this noble work. They should assist in erecting 
schools at whatever cost; and parents are lacking in 
their duty who do not send their children to them. 

It is a great mistake to imagine that religion alone 
is taught there. It receives the same attention as any 
other branch of study, but no more. It is put on the 
same footing as any other study. All other branches 
of learning receive equal attention. Our schools have 
really reached a high' degree of excellency and pro- 
ficiency in all departments of knowledge. It is not 
secular education alone, nor religious education alone, 
but both combined in one harmonious whole that should 
be instilled into the minds of the youth. 



THE CHOIR. 



The choir is a body of singers who assist in render- 
ing the music at divine services. To thus take part in 
any of the acts of divine worship is a great and singular 
privilege. God loves music as He loves order and har- 
monious relations. Order and harmony are seen in all 
His works from the lowest to the highest. He has 
created no being without these qualities. 

It is not strange, therefore^ that He should be 
pleased to have His praises chanted in sweet song. The 
Scriptures bear abundant evidence to establish this fact. 
The psalmist says, ^^Let them praise His name in choir ; 
let them sing to Him with the tymbal and psaltery. 
Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle; let His praise be 



m^^^^ 



^ 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 



155 



in the church of the saints. Praise Him (God) with 
sound of trumpet ; praise Him with psaltery and harp ; 
praise Him with trumpet and choir; praise Him with 
strings and organs. Praise Him on high sounding 
cymbals; praise Him on cymbals of joy. Let every 
spirit praise the Lord.^^ There are a great many other 
passages of like import. The most notable example of 
singing the praises of God was when our Lord was born. 
There was not a silent voice in Heaven. The universe 
was filled with the sweet melody of angelic voices. The 
choir imitates them^ for in a manner our Savior is 
reborn on our altars. How j;reat, therefore^ is the posi- 
tion it holds in our churches ! The members should 
never forget the dignity of the sacred functions which 
they assist in performing. 

As they generally occupy a place by themselves, 
there is danger of their not showing that respect and 
devotion in the church which are manifested by the 
other members of the congregation. They should be 
on their guard against talking, laughing or whispering. 
There is danger^ too^ in their becoming so familiar with 
the services, and especially the parts they render, that 
their force, meaning and sacredness are lost. A good 
precaution to take against these dangers is to follow 
the services, when not actually engaged in singing, in 
the same manner as if seated with the congregation. 



156 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR. 

The ecclesiastical year is not the same as the civil 
year. The former begins on the first Sunday of Advent 
while the latter begins on January Ist^ or New Yearns 
day. What Advent means and when it comes, see 
Advent. 

The periods of the ecclesiastical year are grouped 
around Christmas, Epiphany and Easter. The two 
former are immovable ; that is, they are fixed to certain 
dates, one on December 25th^ and the other January 
6th, but Easter is movable; that is, it is fixed to no 
certain date. Computing from the dates of these feasts, 
the different Sundays of the ecclesiastical year are ar- 
ranged. There are four Sundays before Christmas and 
one after^ six after Epiphany, nine before Easter and 
thirty-one after, which, with the Sunday that Easter 
itself falls on, make up the fifty-two Sundays or weeks 
of the year. 

The Sundays before Christmas are numbered firsts 
second, third and fourth Sunday of Advent^ and the one 
after Christmas is known as the Sunday within the 
Octave of Christmas. The feast of the Circumcision 
is always celebrated on the Octave of Christmas, and 
consequently falls on New Year's day. The civil year, 
therefore, begins on the feast of the Circumcision of our 
Lord. The Sundays after Epiphany are numbered first, 
second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth Sunday after 
Epiphany. The Sundays before Easter are called Sep- 
tuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, first, second, 
third and fourth Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday and 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 15? 

Palm Sunday. Those after Easter are called first, sec- 
ond, third, fourth^ fifth and sixth Sunday after Easter, 
Pentecost Sunday, and first, second, etc., up to the 
twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The first Sun- 
day after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. Whether there 
are twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost depends upon 
the date of Easter. If it comes early, a corresponding 
number of Sundays are taken from the Sundays after 
Epiphany and added to those after Pentecost. If 
Christmas occurs on a Sunday, the first Sunday after 
or within the octave is omitted and the same is true of 
Epiphany. 

It is easy to understand why the above names- should 
be given to the different Sundays of the year, with the 
exception of the three Sundays before Lent. The 
origin of Septuagesima, which means seventy, Sexagesi- 
m_a, which means sixty, and Quinquagesima, which 
means fifty, is not so clear. How to connect these 
numbers to the Sundays indicated is difficult. Butler 
in his ^Teasts and Fasts^^ says that certain churches and 
classes in the early times were desirous of fasting forty 
days before Easter^ but as it was customary to omit 
fasting on some days within the Lenten season, they 
were obliged to begin earlier to have the full forty days 
to fast. The more days omitted, and there was no uni- 
form custom in the omissions, the earlier they would 
have to begin. Hence, they began the penitential sea- 
son on the seventieth, sixtieth or fiftieth day before 
Easter. We at the present time leave out the Sundays, 
and on this account must begin Lent not forty but 
forty-six days before Easter. This custom would ac- 



158 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

count for the names applied to the three Sundays in 
question. 



FEAST DAYS, 



A feast day is a day on which the Church annually 
celebrates mysteries of faith, events of religious char- 
acter^ or the birth and glory of the saints. The Church 
does not celebrate by indulging in worldly festivities 
and merriment^ but by offering up the Sacrifice of the 
Mass and saying the Office in memory of the occasion. 

Some of the feasts are fixed to certain days of the 
month, and these are said to be immovable because they 
always occur on the same date, as Christmas on Decem- 
ber 25th^ or the Immaculate Conception on December 
8th; others are not attached to any given date, but are 
regulated according to Easter^ coming early or late in 
the year with this great Christian festival, and these are, 
therefore, said to be movable, such as the Ascension of 
our Lord, which is held forty days after Easter or Pente- 
cost^ held fifty days after. 

According to their observance^ feasts are divided into 
two classes, — those on which there is an obligation on 
the part of the people to hear Mags and rest from servile 
works^ known as holy days of obligation, and those on 
which there is no such obligation binding the faithful, 
but the clergy say Mass and read the Office in honor of 
the particular mystery or saint commemorated. Accord- 
ing to their rank, feasts are divided into doubles, semi- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 159 

doubles and simples. Some of them are of such excel- 
lency end importance that the Church makes prepara- 
tion by prayer or penance the day before^ known as the 
vigil; and continues the feast for eight days after^ called 
an octave. A vigil is a preparation for a feast; an 
octave is the continuance of the feast for eight days. 
Only the most important feasts have a vigil and an 
octave. The octave proper is the eighth day from the 
feast. 

The Church is rich in the number and glory of her 
saints. They are counted by the thousands and thou- 
sands. Besides the Mother of God, there are the Apos- 
tles^ the martyrs, the virgins, the doctors, the confessors 
and holy men and women in every age^ country and 
clime. They constitute a vast throng. So numerous 
are they that the feasts to their memory cannot all be 
placed. It frequently happens that more than one fall 
on the same day^ or on account of their movableness, one 
may come in conflict with another. In this case they 
are transferred or simply commemorated by a prayer in 
the Mass and by a prayer and an antiphon in the Office, 
or entirely omitted. 

In reference to the feasts of the saints, it is not their 
birth into this- world that is celebrated, but their birth 
(natalitia) into everlasting life, which is the day of 
their death. 

In the numerous Calendars a list of these feasts and 
the dates on which they occur will be found. It is well 
to select some of them for which you have a liking and 
make them occasions for a renewal of religious fervor. 
This is especially true of the feasts of our Lord^ the 



160 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Blessed Virgin^ favorite saints and particularly your 
patron saint. 



SUNDAY. 



Sunday is the Christianas day of worship and rest. 
The divine law sets aside one day in the week for these 
purposes^ and that day is Sunday. 

In accordance with the divine law the Church 
teaches us that Sunday must be kept holy by publicly 
worshiping God and resting from servile works. Pub- 
lic worship supposes some form of sacrifice. It was so 
considered in old law and is so considered in the new. 
Our Savior abrogated all the olden sacrifices, and sub- 
stituted the great sacrifice of the Mass. That is why 
the Church requires us to be present at Mass every 
Sunday. Mere attendance at Mass, however, does not 
fulfill all our obligations in reference to keeping this 
day holy. It is to be spent in a religious manner, that 
is, some time devoted to religion^ piety and charity. 
The Church does not specify these works in particular 
or the amount of time to be devoted to' them, but she 
urges the people to try to receive Holy Communion, to 
listen to the preaching of the Word of God, to perform 
some of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy, to 
read religious literature, to be more prayerful, char- 
itable, and forgiving. 

After our religious duties have been performed, 
amusements and recreation are allowed, provided they 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 161 

are innocent^ inoffensive, decent, grave and moderate. 
They must give no^ scandal^ nor interfere with religious 
services, nor prevent others from resting or practicing 
their religion. We should avoid a Pharisaical attitude 
on the one hand, and unbecomingness, licentiousness^ 
profanity and sinful excesses on the other. 

Works of religion, charity and necessity are always 
permitted. While there may be circumstances and oc- 
casions when servile works are allowed, we should not, 
however^ be lenient with ourselves in this regard. Too 
many are breaking the Sabbath — thinking little of 
ordering work to be done or accepting positions in which 
they must labor constantly every day of the week. A 
man is not just to himself and does not fulfill his reli- 
gious duties who is in a position where Sunday work 
is required unless he makes an earnest effort to change 
his surroundings or secure employment which will 
allow him to spend Sunday as a Christian should spend 
it. 



HOLY DAYS OP OBLIGATION. 

There are certain days which Catholics must spend 
m the same manner as they spend Sundays. These are 
called ^^holy days of obligation,^^ because people are 
obliged under the pain of grievous sin to keep them 
holy by resting from servile work and attending Mass, 
if they possibly can. In this country these days are 
six in number, namely, New Year's day, the Ascension 
of our Lord, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin 



162 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

(August 15), All Saints' day (November 1), the Im- 
maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin (December 
8), and Christmas day. 

There can be no doubt that the Church by virtue of 
her governing power has authority to establish these 
days of extra worship and make their observance bind- 
ing in conscience. Since the Church has done so, we 
should be very careful to keep them. They make bind- 
ing a twofold obligation, namely, attendance at the 
holy Sacrifice and rest from servile work. 

Never miss Mass on these days. Few need be absent 
if they have the will. We sin just as grievously by non- 
attendance on a holy day as on Sunday. With regard 
to work, the ecclesiastical law should be observed. Too 
many pursue their ordinary avocations on holy days 
without sufficient reasons. They see others at work, 
and they think they must work, too. 

We should remember that where circumstances are 
of such nature as to render it impractical or in some 
cases impossible to quit work on these days or on Sun- 
days^ there is a moral obligation more or less binding 
all classes and individuals of so changing their sur- 
roundings that they can practice their religion in its 
fullness. In other words, if our position is such that 
we cannot practice our religion, cannot go to church on 
Sundays or holy days^ or cannot cease from labor, we 
should endeavor to secure a position that will permit 
us to do these things. The welfare of the soul is of 
greater importance than the success of any earthly un- 
dertaking. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 163 

FASTING AND ABSTAINING. 

Fasting means refraining from the use of food. Two 
kinds of fasting are recognized, namely, the natural fast 
and the ecclesiastical one. The former means a literal 
refraining from the least particle of anything taken as 
food or drink. Such a fast from midnight of the day 
on which Holy Communion is received until after its 
reception is absolutely necessary. The only exceptions 
to this rule are in favor of those who are in danger of 
death and in certain other cases of sickness^ explained 
under the heading of "Holy Communion.^^ . The eccles- 
iastical fast is restraint in the quantity of food taken. 
On days of such fast but one full meal is permitted^ 
generally considered the mid-day meal, though some 
warm drink, such as tea, coffee, or chocolate with a 
small piece of bread is allowed in the morning, and a 
"collation/^ not to exceed the fourth part of an ordin- 
ary meal, is allowed in the evening. 

To abstain is not to eat a certain kind of food, 
namely, flesh-meat. It has reference to the quality of 
food, while fasting refers to quantity. As may be 
seen, there is a vast difference between fasting and 
abstaining. All Catholics who have attained the use 
of reason and are not lawfully dispensed are obliged to 
abstain on certain days. 

The laws of fasting and abstaining are of ecclesias- 
tical origin, and the Church can dispense from their 
obligation in certain cases and frequently does. Our 
Lord did not command his followers to fast. He did. 
however, fast Himself, prescribed rules for fasting, and 



1(54 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

on one occasion when asked about the necessity of fast- 
ing, replied that when the Bridegroom (meaning Him- 
self) was with them they would not fast, but when He 
would be taken away they would fast, thus sanctioning 
the custom. The Church has insisted on fasting and 
abstaining from the earliest times, and though there 
may be conditions in the modern world which cause her 
to materially change the, rigors of the ancient fast, she 
will never give up a practice that is productive of so 
much good. 



DAYS OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE. 

All the days of Lent, Sundays excepted, are fast 
days of obligation for all who have reached the twenty- 
first year of their age and have not reached their sixtieth 
year, and who are not dispensed by lawful authority. 

Those who are exempted from fasting are the sick, 
the very poor, pregnant women, those nursing children, 
and in general all those who, on account of old age, a 
weak constitution or hard labor cannot fast without 
detriment to their health. Those thus exempted from 
the fast are not restricted in the use of meat on days 
when it is allowed by dispensation at the principal meal. 
Those who are obliged to fast are allowed only one full 
meal a day which ordinarily should not be taken before 
noon, and to a collation not exceeding the fourth part 
of an ordinary meal in the evening, though a small 
piece of bread with a warm drink such as tea, coffee or 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 165 

chocolate is allowed in the morning. Abstinence from 
flesh-meat is dispensed with in this country on all Sun- 
days, at the principal meal on all other days of Lent, 
except Wednesdays and Fridays^ and except the Satur- 
days of Ember week and holy week. By a special In- 
dult of 1895, working men and their families are per- 
mitted to use flesh-meat once a day on all fast days and 
abstinence days of the year, except Fridays, Ash- Wed- 
nesday, Wednesday and Saturday of holy week and the 
vigil of Christmas. This privilege in favor of working 
men and their families extended for ten years, but in 
most places it has been renewed. Those who avail 
themselves of the dispensation are earnestly requested 
by the Holy See to perform some other act of mortifica- 
tion, such as abstaining from intoxicating liquors. 

The use of fish and flesh is not allowed at the same 
meal even on Sunday in Lent, or even by working men 
and their families who take advantage of the Indult of 
1895. Lard, the fat rendered from any kind of meat, 
may be used in preparing food on all days of fast and 
abstinence in Lent and throughout the year. 



EMBER DAYS. 



Ember days are the Wednesdays, Fridays and Satur- 
days of the week coming immediately after, 1. the 
first Sunday of Lent; 2. Whit-Sunday; 3. the four- 
teenth of September; 4. and the third Sunday of 
Advent. As may be seen they correspond in a way to 



166 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

the four seasons of the year; that is, springy summer, 
autumn and winter. The weeks in which the Ember 
days occur are called Ember weeks. 

They are called in the Liturgy, Quatuor Tempora 
(four times), because they occur four times a year. 
The origin of the English word "ember/^ used in this 
connection, is not quite clear. It may come from the 
Anglo-Saxon word "ymbren/^ meaning a circuit, used 
possibly to designate the circuit of the seasons, or it 
may be a corruption of the Latin words, or as some try 
to prove, it may have sprung from the ancient custom 
of eating nothing on these days until night, and then 
only a small cake which was baked under the embers. 
This cake was called ember bread. 

These days were instituted for the purpose of begin- 
ning the different seasons with prayer and penance, of 
asking God to preserve the fruits of the earth and 
thanking him for their abundance. Coming about the 
beginning or end of the seasons of the year they suggest 
an appropriate opportunity for praise and thanks to the 
Author of every best gift. We are indebted to divine 
providence for everything we possess. God has so 
created the world and framed natural laws that the 
earth brings forth fruit in richness, and affords a plenti- 
ful harvest for our wants and necessities. We must 
not be so presumptive as to think that the seed sprouta 
forth and the grain ripens at our bidding. True, we 
must co-operate with the designs of God. We must 
cultivate the soil and sow the seed and reap the harvest, 
but God gives the increase. St. Paul says: "Neither 
he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth ; but 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 167 

God that giveth the increase/^ The custom, therefore, 
of giving thanks to God for the abundance of the things 
that nature produces is a most salutary one. 

The Ember days were also instituted in connection 
with the ordination of priests and other ministers,, 
which generally takes place during them, though they 
may be ordained at other times. The idea is that the 
whole Church is in prayer while Holy Orders are being 
conferred upon the priests and other ministers of God. 

They are days of fast and abstinence^ of prayer and 
thanksgiving. We should endeavor to enter into the 
spirit and carry out the purpose for which they were 
instituted. We should certainly fast and abstain. It 
would, moreover, be greatly in harmony with the spirit 
of the time to say the Litany of the Saints or some other 
appropriate prayers in thanksgiving to the divine 
bounty. As the whole Church is praying for those who 
are being ordained on these days, so we should also pray 
for them. We can go to Mass or receive Communion 
or say the Litanies for them. 

According to the Third Plenary Council of Balti- 
more, children who have not made their first Commun- 
ion and have attained the use of reason, should go to 
confession during each of the ember weeks, or four times 
a. year. Parents should see that their children comply 
with this regulation. 



168 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ROGATION DAYS. 

The Eogation days are the Monday^ Tuesday and 
Wednesday immediately preceding the feast of the 
Ascension of our Lord. Eogation means prayer or sup- 
plication^ and is the Latin equivalent of the Greek word 
litany. They are not holy days of obligation^ nor are 
they days of fast or abstinence. The Litany of the 
Saints is chanted in procession. They were instituted 
for the purpose of asking God to bless and increase the 
fruits of the earth, as well as of appeasing His anger^ 
begging pardon for our sins and praying for other 
spiritual and temporal favors. 

It is a beautiful and significant custom to beseech 
God to bless the fruits of the earth and cause them to 
come forth in abundance. The season of the year and 
the ever benign influence of God makes such prayers 
most appropriate. It is spring-time, and nature is be- 
ginning the work of supplying man with the necessaries 
of life. Back of nature is God, whose creation it is. 
His hand is seen in the production of every flower that 
blooms and every blade of grass that grows. At His 
bidding the showers moisten^ the air invigorates^ the 
sunshine warms and the soil brings forth. If He sft 
willed it, the earth would be dry, parched and barren. 
Man is obliged to sow, cultivate and reap, but, as St. 
Paul says, "God gives the increase.^^ 

It is, therefore, an excellent custom to have a time 
set aside for the purpose of begging God to bless and 
supply in abundance these products of nature which are 
absolutely necessary for our existence. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 169 

If the Litany is chanted publicly in the church, we 
should endeavor to be present, so that we may be per- 
meated with the spirit which these days suggest, and 
pray for the objects for which they were instituted. 



ADVENT. 



Advent is a period of about four weeks immediately 
preceding Christmas. It contains four Sundays and be- 
gins on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew. 
It is a time of fast and prayer, preparatory to the 
worthy celebration of the great feast of Christmas. In 
the early ages of the Church the law of fast was quite 
as strict during Advent as in Lent, and in some coun- 
tries of the old world the law is still more or less in 
force. In this country there is no special law either of 
fast or abstinence. The universal custom, encouraged 
and fostered by the Church, is to forego as far as possi- 
ble all worldly pleasures and amusements, to give more 
attention than usual to divine and spiritual things, and 
be more recollected, more prayerful and more peniten- 
tial. Frequently in parish churches there are special 
services during Advent^ often sermons on certain even- 
ings or the stations of the Cross on Friday evening, 
and these, if possible, should be attended. 

As Christmas approaches we should make ready for 
a good confession, preparing ourselves for it well in ad- 
vance, and on the happy morning of Christmas should 



170 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

receive our blessed Lord in Holy Connnunion with clean 
hearts and pure minds. 

The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the 
ecclesiastical year, as New Year's day is the beginning 
of the civil year. In the gospel of this Sunday and of 
the preceding Sunday^ that is, on the first and last 
Sundays of the religious year^ the Church calls our 
attention to the last or general judgment. She thereby 
wishes to convey the idea that God's judgments and our 
final destiny should be the first things in the mind and 
the last out. 

Solemn marriages are forbidden during Advent. If 
they take place at all, the ceremony must be private. 
By private is not meant clandestinely, but without pomp, 
display and the nuptial blessing. 



CHRISTMAS. 



Christmas commemorates the birth of our Savior, 
Jesus Christ. It is called "Christmas'' because when 
England was Catholic^ it was customary to attach the 
word "mass" to the name of a holy day, on which there 
was an obligation to hear Mass. In time it was spelled 
with one "s.". Hence, we have Christmas, Michaelmas, 
Candlemas, etc., to signify that attendance at the Holy 
Sacrifice was necessary on the Nativity of Christ, the 
feast of St. Michael and the blessing of the candles. 

The birth of our Lord was the most momentous 
event that ever occurred on earth. He was the prom- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 171 

ised Messias^ the second person of the Blessed Trinity, 
true God and true Man, who, through the power of the 
Holy Ghost^ assumed human flesh to redeem the world. 
He was born of a Virgin Mother in a stable in Bethle- 
hem, nearly two thousand years ago. He redeemed 
and saved the human race, and, moreover, established a 
religion which enables man io become pleasing to God 
and leads him to the highest degree of human worth. 
He paid the penalty with His life. He was crucified^ 
dead and buried, but arose from the grave on the third 
day. 

No person has done the world so much good as 
Jesus Christ. Ancient history led up to His coming, 
and modern history flows from His coming. Indeed, 
He is the central figure of the universe. ISTo wonder 
that the custom of celebrating His birth with joy and 
enthusiasm is prevalent among Christians. 



LENT. 

Lent is the penitential season in the Catholic Church. 
The word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "lencten/^ 
which means spring, though there is authority for its 
derivation from ^lencgan,^^ to lengthen, because the days 
grow longer at this time. It is known in the Liturgy 
as Quadragesima, which is the Latin word for forty, 
meaning the forty days^ fast which takes place before 
Easter. It begins on Ash- Wednesday and lasts until 
Easter Sunday. The forty days, Sundays excluded, 



172 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

which are not a part of Lent, commemorate the forty 
days^ fast of our Lord. 

He did not, however, institute Lent; neither did He 
order His followers to fast, though He did prescribe 
rules for fasting and on one occasion He said His dis- 
ciples would fast when the Bridegroom, meaning Him- 
self, would be taken away from them. It is, therefore, 
a purely ecclesiastical institution, but so thoroughly in 
harmony with the spirit of Christiai^ity as to be in- 
separable from it. 

Like so many other customs of the Church, its origin 
cannot be traced. It is certainly very old, probably 
dating back to the time of the Apostles. Early eccles- 
iastical writers refer to it as in existence for generations, 
and consequently as a well established fact. St. 
Ireneus, in the second century, speaks of it as no new 
thing, but had arisen "long before in a past generation.'^ 
This would seem to indicate that it was known to the 
Apostles or at least to the generations immediately suc- 
ceeding them. 

The Church has enacted various laws and regulations 
governing the Lenten practices. In doing so she has no 
idea of injuring one's health. Her sole desire is to in- 
duce her children to do penance and bring the physical 
being under the control of the spiritual by discipline and 
proper management. These effects are forcibly ex- 
pressed in the preface of the Mass for the penitential 
season, namely, ^^fasting restrains vice, elevates the mind 
and brings virtue and reward.'' 

Lent is not merely a time for fasting and abstaining, 
in the strict sense of these terms, but it is also a season 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 173 

of prayer, penance and refraining from worldly pleas- 
ures that may at other times be permitted. Hence 
special religious services are held twice or three times 
a week in most churches. There is no excuse for non- 
attendance at these exercises. It only requires a will 
to be present. All forms of amusements^ receptions and 
the like are entirely out of place. Instead of worldly 
enjojonent it should be the earnest effort of every 
Catholic to be diligent in praying, eradicating vice and 
cultivating the different forms of virtue. 

It is improper during Lent to attend balls or parties^ 
the theatre or other places of amusement. These things 
are distractions to the spiritual minded and are to be 
avoided. In many families even the simple pastimes- 
of children are set aside. Besides one^s regular devo- 
tions, it is good to have some particular devotion at this 
time, and to be unusually solicitous about performing 
works of self-denial and penance. This is the time to 
forgive your enemies^ to do good to those who hate you, 
and to pray for those who persecute you. It is the time 
to seek out the poor and show special kindness to them. 
At this time we should exercise more self-restraint than 
usual ; we should be more patient and gentle, less given 
to anger, and should bear our troubles with calmness 
and resignation. And the reward will be great. It 
will result in making the soul better, nobler, purer and 
more in harmony with the higher life. 



174 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

HOLY WEEK. 

Holy week is the week immediately preceding Easter 
Sunday, and is commemorative of the passion and 
death of our Lord. Though it includes the whole 
week, it is commonly understood to refer to the three 
last days of it^ namely^ Holy Thursday, Good Friday 
and Holy Saturday. These are memorable days in the 
Christian world. They remind us of the different move- 
ments of our Lord during His last moments on earth. 
Though not holy days of obligation, they are days of 
great devotion. They begin with the scene in the 
chamber where He instituted the Holy Eucharist^ con- 
tinue through the harrowing events that led up to 
Calvary, and end with the alleluias that follow His 
resurrection from the grave. Each has, therefore, a 
significance of its own. The ceremonies are elaborate 
and have a meaning which expresses the nature of the 
events they are intended to represent. 

Only one Mass can be said in each church on each 
of these three days. In some churches where there are 
a sufficient number of the clergy present^ the ^^Tene- 
brae/^ which is the name given to the matins and lauds 
of the following day, is publicly sung in the afternoon 
or evening of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this 
week. 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 175 

HOLY THURSDAY. 

Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist on Holy 
Thursday, which is expressive of His intense love for 
man. The Mass said on this day is an expression of joy 
and gratitude for the institution of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, though its solemn commemoration is deferred till 
the feast of Corpus Christi. It is too close to the sor- 
rowful passion and death of our Lord to be a time of 
joy, and hence another occasion has been selected for 
a more befitting celebration. For the Mass on this day 
the altar is decorated with the very best. The bells are 
rung at the Gloria and are not sounded again till Holy 
Saturday, neither is any musical instrument played 
during that time in honor of our Lord^s silence and to 
express sorrow and mourning. The faithful should en- 
deavor to receive Holy Communion, and it is most be- 
coming to do so. 

At this Mass two Hosts are consecrated. One of 
them is consumed at the priest's Communion ; the other 
is placed in a chalice, and at the end of Mass is carried 
in procession to the chapel or side altar, which must be 
handsomely decorated with flowers and brightly illum- 
inated with lights. This chapel or side altar is called 
the Eepositor)^ The people are generally requested to 
donate flowers for its decoration. The procession with 
us generally goes through the aisles of the church, and 
every one should be kneeling in adoration. This should 
be borne in mind by those who make it a practice to 
stand around the doors or in the passage ways. The 
Sacred Host remains in the Repository until the follow- 



176 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

ing day for the adoration, praise and thanksgiving of 
the faithful. A plenary indulgence may be gained by 
those who visit the Repository and spend some time in 
prayer, upon the usual conditions of confession and 
Communion^ though the latter may be made either on 
Holy Thursday or Easter Sunday. A partial indul- 
gence of ten years and ten quarantines may be gained 
for every visit to the Repository, as directed above, with 
a firm purpose of going to confession. 

At the close of the services^ the Blessed Sacrament 
is removed from the main altar, when it is then stripped 
of every form of ornament,, to represent the desolation 
of Jesus in His passion. In cathedral churches, the 
bishop consecrates on this day the holy oils used through- 
out the year. 



GOOD FRroAY. 



Good Friday commemorates Jesus Christ crucified. 
The Mass of the "Presanctified'' is celebrated. The 
word ^Tresanctified^^ is used to indicate that the Sacred 
Host was consecrated the day before, being the same 
that was placed in the Repository on Holy Thursday and 
carried in procession from there during the services of 
Good Friday. The consecration and other important 
parts of this Mass are omitted. An account of the pas- 
sion is read or sung, prayers are offered up for all 
classes to show that none are excluded from the redemp- 
tion of Christ, and the Cross, the symbol of redemption, 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 177 

is venerated by being kissed. The ministers then go to 
the Eepository and carry the Sacred Host in procession 
through the aisles of the church to the main altar. 
Again every one should be kneeling in adoration. The 
services are concluded by the celebrant^s Communion. 

The bells are not rung during the whole day, nor is 
any musical instrument sounded, to indicate universal 
mourning. The people are not allowed to receive Holy 
Communion on Good Friday. As it is a day of great 
devotion^ though not a holy day of obligation, it should 
be spent as piously as possible. It is an excellent cus- 
tom to attend Mass, to be present at the exercises held 
in the churchy to venerate the Cross^ and make the 
Stations of the Cross. 



HOLY SATURDAY. 

Holy Saturday commemorates our Lord in the 
sepulchre. The services begin with the blessing of new 
fire at the church door. From this fire the triple candle 
is lighted, emblematic of the light of Christ; and from 
this in turn are lighted the paschal candle, symbolical 
of the Resurrection, and finally all the lights in the 
church. The prophesies being read^ the blessing of the 
baptismal font or water follows. Before the oils are 
poured into the baptismal water, a portion is reserved 
and this is called the ^^Easter water/' The litanies are 
then chanted^ and Mass is celebrated on the main altar. 
At the Gloria, the bells are rung, the organ peals forth 



178 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

its sacred melody and the triumphant notes of the 
"Alleluia^^ re-echo throughout the church. Jesus Christ 
crucified, dead and buried has arisen! 

Why are the alleluias heard on Holy Saturday or 
the day before the Eesurrection ? In the early days of 
Christianity, there was no Mass on Holy Saturday. It 
was said at midnight of this day or the first hour of 
Easter Sunday. It became customary, however^ to cele- 
brate it on Saturday morning instead of at midnight, 
and the custom finally became universal. Hence, its 
joyous character and the alleluias announcing the Eesur- 
rection before Easter Sunday. The hour of the Mass 
was changed, but its triumphant character remained as 
before. 



EASTER. 



Easter Sunday commemorates the glorious Resur- 
rection of our Lord from the dead. In the Liturgy it is 
called Dominica Resurrectionis (Sunday of the Eesur- 
rection) or the Pasch. The English term of "Easter^^ 
is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word Eastre, which 
was the name of the Pagan goddess of dawn. Festivities 
in her honor were held in the springtime or the dawn of 
summer^ and it was natural that the word should in 
time be associated with the great Christian festival com- 
ing at that season of the year. It is a movable feast and 
comes on the first Sunday after the first full moon after 
the vernal equinox, provided such full moon does not 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 179 

occur earlier than March 21, and as it cannot occur 
later than April 18th^ Easter cannot be earlier than 
March 22nd nor later than April 25th. 

Easter is the day of days in the Christian calendar. 
It proclaims in most emphatic language the divinity of 
Jesus, and upon His divinity rests His cause. This 
accounts for the devotion and enthusiasm that center 
around the tomb as the stone is rolled away, and the 
glories of the risen Lord are flashed upon the world. 
It becomes a vortex around which circles the adoration 
of millions and millions of devout souls. It becomes a 
sacred shrine at which Christians are electrified with 
faith, permeated with hope, fortified with courage and 
made fearless in the face of the whole world and of 
whatever befalls them. The Eesurrection of our Lord 
brings a stronger hope of a new life, a firmer conviction 
of immortality, a more ardent desire to arise from the 
death of sin to a life of virtue. This festival speaks of 
hope, of immortality, of death to sin and life to virtue. 

These were the eifects produced on the Apostles and 
holy women. They are produced in the hearts of every 
Christian to this present day. 



OTHER IMPORTANT FEASTS. 

Other important festivals in the ecclesiastical year 
are : The Circumcision of our Lord, Epiphany^ the 
Ascension of our Lord, Pentecost, Corpus Christi^ the 



180 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, All Saints, All Souls 
and the Immaculate Conception. 

The Circumcision celebrates the memory of the blood 
shed by our Lord when He submitted Himself to the 
Mosaic rite of circumcision. It occurs on January 1, or 
New Yearns day, and hence the beginning of the civil 
year. It is a holy day of obligation. 

The Epiphany celebrates the memory of the adora- 
tion of the Magi^ the Baptism of Jesus Christ, and the 
miracle of changing water into wine at the marriage of 
Cana. It occurs on January 6. 

The Ascension celebrates the mystery of our Lord's 
ascending into Heaven. It is generally called ^^Ascen^ 
sion Thursday/' and occurs forty days after Easter. It 
is a holy day of obligation. 

Pentecost celebrates the mystery of the coming of 
the Holy Ghost, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, 
upon the Apostles and other disciples of our Lord and 
upon the Church. It means fifty, because it occurs fifty 
days after Elaster. It is also called "Whit-Sunday," 
because it falls on Sunday and those who were baptized 
in the evening before this festival were dressed in 
white. The Holy Ghost remains with the Church and 
guides her in the way of holiness and truth. 

Corpus Christi is the solemn commemoration of the 
institution of the Holy Eucharist. This mystery of 
God's love and goodness is also celebrated on Holy 
Thursday, but that day comes so close to the sorrowful 
Passion that the Church prefers to defer its solemn 
celebration to another time, namely, Corpus Christi. 

The Assumption celebrates the death and taking up 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, ^^^ 

of the body and soul of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven. 
It falls on August 15, and is a holy day of obligation. 
While Catholics generally believe that she was taken up 
into Heaven, it is not an article of faith. 

All Saints recalls the memory of the saints in 
Heaven — ^those who fought the good fight and are as a 
consequence enjoying everlasting felicity. This feast 
gives us a special occasion to honor the true servants 
of God^ to teach us to pray to them and to induce us to 
imitate their virtues and follow their example. They 
are heroes — the only heroes of the world. They are the 
only models worth imitating, the only guides worth fol- 
lowing. They lead to the best and noblest and holiest. 
This feast occurs on November 1, and is a holy day of 
obligation. 

All Souls commemorates all the faithful departed, 
who are in Purgatory. It falls on November 3. (See 
Purgatory). 

The Immaculate Conception celebrates the mystery 
of the Blessed Virgin^s exemption from original sin from 
the very first instant of her conception. It falls on 
December 8^ and is a holy day of obligation. That 
Mary was, by a singular privilege of Almighty God and 
through the merits of her divine Son, preserved free 
from, original sin from the first instant of her concep- 
tion is an article of faith and must be believed by 
Catholics. 



182 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD. 

We cannot overestimate the influence of the thought 
that we will be judged by God, and onr eternal happi- 
ness shall depend upon the result. Every act we do, 
every word we utter, every thought we entertain shall 
ultimately be measured by the standard of divine justice 
and our condition in the hereafter shall be determined 
by this severe test. Our faith plainly teaches that it 
shall be rendered to every one absolutely according to 
his works. Nothing is more salutary, therefore, than 
to reflect upon the judgments of God. "Eemember thy 
last end, and thou shall never sin.^^ 

There will be two judgments, — one immediately 
after death, called the particular or private judgment, 
and the other on the last day, called the general or pub- 
lic judgment. The moment life departs, the soul will 
appear in the presence of God and will be judged. 
Theologians tell us that this judgment consists of an 
illumination of the soul, so that it knows its own condi- 
tion before God and the reward or punishment it de- 
serves. Instantly the past is open, and instantly the 
soul finds its way to its place in Heaven, Hell or Purga- 
tory as a body finds its place to earth by the law of gravi- 
tation. It is all over in a second, but what tremendous 
results follow! 

A general judgment shall be publicly passed upon 
every individual of the human race on the last day. 
The Scriptures say that our Lord shall judge and pro- 
nounce sentence on this occasion, and they mention 
some of the attendant circumstances. Our Lord fore- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 183 

tells some of the things that will take place on or near 
the last day. He is emphatic in calling attention to 
the disasters in the world, the distress of peoples, the 
disorders in the heavens, and the appalling destruction 
of the universe by fire. When that time will come no 
one knows. These circumstances are of such a nature 
as to strike terror into human hearts, but no doubt God 
has been pleased to reveal them to impart a wholesome 
fear for the consequences of sin. 

The teachings of science seems to corroborate the 
words of the Scripture in reference to the destruction 
of the universe by fire. Science points to a beginning 
of the present order of things or to a time when the 
energy of matter was so intense that it could not have 
been derived from any previous, natural distribution, 
and to an end or a time when the same energy shall be 
so diffused as to be powerless to act on matter. When 
the world was formed its intense energy gave rise to a 
reign of fire, the likes of which is beyond the imagination 
to describe. The globe we inhabit was a mass of burning 
liquids, seething and foaming in wild rage. If the uni- 
verse assumed form by the impartation of energy as the 
top is set in motion and a reign of fire followed, it is 
certain, from a scientific standpoint, that if another im- 
partation of energy be given it or if the forces of nature 
be gathered together, the result will be another reign 
of fire, whereby this world ^^being melted with fervent 
heat may renew its youth in the fresh and heavenly 
loveliness of a new heaven and earth.^^ Does this not 
sound wonderfully like the words of the inspired 
writers? St. Peter says: ^^Looking for and hasting 



184 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PR AC PICE. 

unto the coming of the day of the Lord, by which the 
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved^ and the ele- 
ments shall melt with the burning heat/^ 

On that last day our divine Savior will come to judge 
mankind. Every soul united to its resurrected body 
shall appear before Him, — the good at His right and 
the bad at His left, — and in the presence of all men and 
the court of Heaven, shall hear the sentence by which 
it must abide throughout eternity. To the good at His 
right He will say: ^Tome^ ye blessed of My Father, 
possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundations of the world ;^^ and to the bad at His left : 
^'^Depart from Me^ you cursed^ into everlasting fire which 
was prepared for the devil and his angels/^ It is most 
significant that our Lord has revealed the very words 
He will use in passing judgment on the last day. Ee- 
member them and you will lead a better, holier, saintlier 
life. 



HEAVEN. 



Heaven is a state in which the just see God and 
enjoy everlasting happiness. The Church teaches that 
there is such a state, that its duration is eternal, and 
that souls who are ^^undefiled^^ either at the moment of 
death or become so through purification after death, 
shall dwell there forever. Heaven is our true home, 
the goal of all our striving^ the reward of all our labors, 
the satisfaction of all our desires, the fulfillment of all 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 185 

our love, the realization of all our hopes and aspirations. 
Xo words can adequately express nor imagination pic- 
ture what it really is. ^^Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither hath it entered in the heart of man, what 
things God hath prepared for them that love Him.^^ 

There are two kinds of happiness in Heaven, — the 
essential and the accidental. The former is seeing God 
as He is. This is called the Beatific Vision. The just 
see God clearly ^^face to face'^ and are admitted to a 
^^sort of union^^ with Him. They possess God and are 
^"^made partakers of the divine nature.^^ The result is 
that they ^^assume a certain admirable, almost divine 
form so as t-o seem more like gods than human beings.'^ 
While all see God clearly, all do not see Him with equal 
clearness, and this fact makes degrees of bliss in Heaven. 
Kone will be able to fully comprehend God, as His com- 
prehension is beyond the range of human intelligence. 

The Beatific Vision is so enrapturing that it con- 
stitutes the supreme happiness of Heaven, and the loss 
of it the severest pain of Hell. A natural reference 
may give us the faintest conception of its meaning. If 
we love an object and desire its possession, we are not 
satisfied until we get it. This desire is in proportion 
to our love, and the love in proportion to the goodness 
of the object as we see it. God is goodness multiplied 
infinitely and although, after seeing Him, the desire to 
possess Him cannot become infinite, but it can and will 
become as intense as human nature is capable of. It 
would, therefore, be anguish unspeakable, as St. Cathar- 
ine says, to lose the sight of God. 

To the essential happiness .which follows from the 



186 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

vision of the divine essence, are added certain gifts 
which constitute the sours accidental happiness. These 
appeal to us most powerfully^ because they are in a 
degree experienced in this life. The Apostle refers to 
them when he says: ^''Glory and honor and peace to 
every one that worketh good.^^ 

The just will be glorified in the fulness of knowl- 
edge, wisdom and truth. They will be honored by being 
raised to the dignity of friends and sons of God^ by 
taking possession of His kingdom, and being praised by 
Christ before His Father and the assembled hosts. 
Their minds will be "overflowing'^ with intellectual de- 
light and their hearts will experience the sweetness of 
ineffable joy. They will have perfect peace and rest in 
the consciousness of possessing God and reaching their 
final destiny. 

The body after the general resurrection, will be 
spiritualized and united to the soul. Freed from all the 
infirmities that afflict humanity^ it will put on immor- 
tality and partake of the happiness to which its merits 
entitle it. It will become "bright as the sun'' with 
glory, will be incapable of suffering, will have the power 
of penetrating material substances^ and of moving with 
the utmost facility and swiftness wherever the soul 
desires. 

Heaven also means the company of the angels and 
saints of God. We may not be able to grasp the mean- 
ing of an angelic presence, but we do know something 
about saintly souls. They are God's heroes, the builders 
of His kingdom among us, the upholders of the noblest 
and best. We can understand what it is to be with the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 187 

good and the holy and the pnre^ the meek and the 
humble and the considerate, the charitable and the land 
and the unselfish, the temperate and the honest and the 
just. We know what it is to live with them. We have 
seen them in the present and heard of them in the ages 
that are passed. They have enlightened the world and 
made it better. They fought for and won ^Hhe crown of 
imperishable glory.^^ We will be with them in Heaven 
and feel the everlasting influence of their holy presence. 
Heaven is the reward of saintly conduct. A little 
space of time^ called life^ has been given you to secure 
it. It is only a little while and you cannot afford to 
lose a single moment. You must work for it with all 
the powers of mind and heart and soul. Soon the time 
will come when you cannot work. ^^A whole eternity 
waited for thee to be born; now a whole eternity waits 
to see what thou shalt do with thyself when thou art 
born.^^ As far as meriting Heaven is concerned, ^^all 
the countless ages that roll throughout the two enter- 
nities are blackest night/^ Work while it is day-time 
that you may be worthy to dwell in the mansions of 
eternal bliss. 



HELL. 

God will reward the just with everlasting happiness 
and will inflict everlasting punishment upon the wicked. 
Every sin calls for some kind of retribution either here 
or hereafter. It frequently happens that there is no 



188 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

retribution made in this life for the countless moral 
transgressions of man, and in many instances the wicked 
prosper and are enriched with worldly success. God in 
His infinite wisdom^ which no human intelligence can 
comprehend, allows them, if they will, to take their poor 
reward in this life, but reserves for the next the inflic- 
tion of the severest punishment upon every one of their 
evil thoughts, words and deeds. 

To allow the wicked to succeed and triumph by 
ruthlessly trampling upon every law, human and divine, 
by forcibly appropriating to themselves things to which 
they have no right, or by wantonly outraging feelings 
that are everywhere held as sacred, would be an in- 
justice out of all harmony with the nature of God. 
There is and must be a Hell, and Hell is right. 

There are many passages in the Sacred Scriptures 
that explicitly state there is such a place. It is referred 
to as the bottomless pit (Gehenna), as a furnace of un- 
quenchable fire^ as an abode out of which there is no 
redemption and in which souls are in dreadful torments. 
Our Savior says that those who have not on the wed- 
ding garment (the robes of sanctifying grace) when the 
Bridegroom comes will be cast into exterior darkness 
where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; 
and God has seen fit to reveal the very words of the 
sentence which His divine Son, as Judge, shall pro- 
nounce upon the wicked on the last day : ^^Depart from 
me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared 
for the devil and his angels/^ 

The Church has not defined the nature of the suffer- 
ings of the damned, nor how they will be inflicted, but 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND Pl^ACTlClS. 189 

theologians are unanimous in teaching the following 
points: Hell exists; souls departing this life in a state 
of mortal guilt go there immediately; and out of it there 
is no redemption. They also teach that these souls 
experience two kinds of sufferings, the pain of loss and 
the pain of sense. The pain of loss is the agonizing 
thought of losing the sight of God or the Beatific Vis- 
ion. What this means is more fully explained in the 
articles on Heaven and Purgatory. The pain of sense 
will be inflicted chiefly by fire, ^^prepared for the devil 
and his angels.^' The Ohurch has not defined the 
nature of this fire^ nor what its properties are, nor to 
what it is like, but theologians teach that it will have 
the quality of affecting bodies and spirits. After the 
general resurrection, the body will be united to the soul 
and will partake of its sufferings. The punishment of 
the damned will not diminish with the lapse of time, 
but will go on forever and ever. 

Such is Hell, and there is nothing which strikes 
more fear into human hearts, — not that fear which 
crushes hope or stifles effort or breeds despair, but which 
arouses to action. Were there no fear of bodily injury 
there would be no precautions for safety. In every path 
of life fear is an essential element of success, and in the 
work of eternal salvation, it is the ^^beginning of wis- 
dom.^^ An idea of God's chastisement ever so vague 
will stop the sinner in his headlong course ; it will drive 
him into the sanctuary of religion, yea, to the feet of 
God with prayers upon his lips for grace and help and 
guidance to live a better life; it will arouse the luke- 
warm from their lethargy and infuse into their souls 



190 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

new activity for the coveted prize beyond the grave; it 
will spur on the good to greater sacrifices and make 
them account no efforts too costly to reach a high state 
of perfection. 

In the light of God's judgments, we can understand 
how sin is the only evil in the world, and its punishment 
is the only danger to be dreaded by the human race. It 
is the only danger which Christ ever admitted to be real. 
He said: ^Tear ye not them that kill the body and are 
not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him that can 
destroy both body and soul into Hell." So great is the 
danger of incurring God's eternal enmity that our Lord 
went so far as to counsel the severest bodily sacrifices, 
if that moral transgression which kills the soul cannot 
be escaped in any other way. 

No conditions, therefore, are too hard, no precautions 
too wise, no obligations too burdensome to insure a 
course of conduct that will prevent us from falling into 
the hands of an avenging God. It is better to suffer 
any loss in this life rather than even run the risk of 
such a dreadful fate. Remember thy last end, and 
pray daily and hourly to God for grace to lead a holy 
life that your reward may be great in the world to come. 



PURGATORY. 



Purgatory is a state in the future life in which souls 
who are free from mortal sin, but not free from venial 
sin, or not having fully satisfied for the temporal pun- 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE, 191 

ishment due those sins whose guilt has been forgiven, 
are detained until they are cleansed and made ^'unde- 
filed/' when they will be admitted into Heaven. To 
know that God in His great mercy has provided a place 
of purification for those who are not sinless imparts the 
greatest consolation. It gives hope, and fortifies the 
heart with courage to strive for the realization of the 
promises of God. 

The Sacred Scriptures undoubtedly refer to Purga- 
tory. Our Savior in the Sermon on the Mount, speak- 
ing of a prison in the world to come, said : ^^Amen, I say 
to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay 
the last farthing.'' (Matt, v :26) . It is evident from this 
passage that there must be a place of temporary con- 
finement, whence the soul is released after all debt due 
to sin is paid. At another time, speaking of blasphemy, 
he said : '''He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, 
it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor 
in the world to come.'' We know from this passage that 
some sins are forgiven in the world to come. They can- 
not be forgiven in Hell, for ''out of Hell there is no 
redemption," nor can they be forgiven in Heaven, for 
there is no sin in that state of blessedness. Between the 
two extremes, there is only a middle state or place left. 
St. Paul says : "He himself shall be saved, yet so as by 
fire." The inspired writers of old state that "it is a 
holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead." If 
the dead are among the lost there is no need for prayers. 
They would be as idle and useless as shadows cast upon 
the earth. If they are among the blessed, prayers would 



192 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

not add the faintest ray of brightness to the halo of 
their glory. 

These texts tell us that there is a place in the future 
life where the "last farthing'' or temporal debt due to 
sin is paid, where some sins are forgiven, where the soul 
is saved or cleansed '^yet so as by fire/^ where prayers 
are useful, and where the confinement is temporary. 
None of these passages can refer to a soul either in 
Heaven or in Hell. There is only a middle state left^ 
where those who do not die in God's enmity, but are not 
morally spotless, suffer for a time and are rendered fit 
to enjoy everlasting happiness. 

The Church has not defined the nature of the purga- 
torial sufferings^ nor has she made any comparison be- 
tween them and the pains experienced on earth. She 
has not stated what they are^ nor to what they are like. 
We believe that most spiritual writers uphold the ideas 
of St. Catherine of Genoa in reference to the condition 
of the souls in Purgatoryo Faber champions her ideas 
in the strongest manner. St. Catherine wrote a treatise 
on this subject which the Sorbonne called "a rare effu- 
sion of the spirit of God upon a pure and loving soul/' 
and after being examined during the course of the 
saint's beatification was pronounced "incontaminate, 
most salutary and altogether seraphic." 

She holds that the severest pain is that of loss, but 
she does not deny the existence of intense pains of sense. 
The latter, however, are to a large extent mitigated or 
lost sight of in the abundance of love and charity, peace 
and joy, content and security which flood the soul. She 
holds that as soon as life departs the soul flashes into the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 193 

presence of its God, is instantly judged, and imme- 
diately wings its voluntary flight to the place assigned for 
it in Purgatory. At the moment of judgment the beams 
of God's searching light illumine the past, reveal every 
sin that person ever committed, and expose the evil con- 
sequences which now keep it from its last end. These 
evil consequences are the ligaments that hold it down 
and keep it back. The saint calls them the rust of the 
soul. As the past is opened the soul perceives the hind- 
rances that keep it from its God, and knows at once 
that Purgatory will do away with them; and hence it 
willingly and gladly throws itself into it. 

During the whole process of purgation the jfirst 
ravishing sight of God's presence, His light and radi- 
ance and beauty of expression remain with it, consoling 
it, buoying it up with hope, and filling it with love.These 
feelings are uppermost and foremost to such a degree 
as to almost put in the back ground the pain of sense; 
but tend to make the pain of loss more severe. St. 
Catherine says it is pain unspeakable to be separated 
for a moment from Him whose being fills the heavens 
and the earth, whose sight floods the soul with ecstasy, 
whose look breathes hope and love and joy. No sooner 
does the soul understand that it is saved, is acceptable 
to God, a friend of His, an heir of Paradise, than it has 
a bitter longing to be with the object of its hope. But 
it understands there is an impediment holding it back, 
that is, the remains of sin, which it perceives can be only 
purged away in Purgatory. Hence it is perfectly con- 
tent to remain there until the impediment (remains of 
sin) disappears, or the rust is eaten away. 



194 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

It experiences two sufferings — the extremity of pain 
which must result in eating away the rust (or remains 
of sin) which covers it, and the extremity of eager desire 
to be with God, The latter is called the pain of loss — a 
pain so extreme that no tongue can tell it^ no under- 
standing grasp the least portion of it. The soul under- 
going the former (pain of sense) is compared to gold in 
the crucible. ^^Gold/^says the saint, ^Vhen it is puri- 
fied to twenty-four carats, will not waste away any more, 
no matter how much fire is applied to it, because in 
reality nothing is consumed but imperfections. The 
divine fire (used in the Scriptural sense) iacts in like 
manner upon the soul. God holds it in this fire till 
every imperfection is consumed, and until He reduces it 
to the purity of twenty-four carats ; every soul, however, 
according to its own degree. When the soul is thus 
purified it rests altogether in God. God is its life. 
And when He has brought it to Himself thus purified, 
it becomes impassable (cannot suffer), for there is noth- 
ing left in it to consume away. If it were still left in 
the fire it would give it no pain — ^nay, it would then be 
the fire of Divine Love — Eternal Life.^^ 



OUR DUTY TO THE DEAD. 

While undergoing the process of purification the 
souls in Purgatory are powerless and can do nothing to 
better themselves. The evil legacies of sin are balanced 
only by satisfying the divine justice. Such satisfaction 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 195 

is made only by meriting. But there is no meriting, 
no meritorious action in the world to come. We merit 
only in this life. Hence they can do absolutely nothing 
to better their own condition. 

But we can help them. We can do so, first, by 
prayer ; secondly, by good works of every kind^ provided 
they are offered up for that purpose ; thirdly, by gaining 
these indulgences for them that the Church has per- 
mitted by way of suffrage to be applied to them; and 
lastly by the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The latter is 
of infinite value, and although no one can receive its 
benefits in their fullness, each can receive his portion 
according to his capacity and the will of God. 

We should not, therefore, forget the dead. It is 
natural for us to extend to them every assistance in our 
power. Instinctively their images come into the minds 
and we almost see them standing before us. Let us pause 
for a moment to look at these faces of the dead. Their 
number is very great. It is a multitude which no one 
can count. It is a vast, countless throng. Now some 
of these faces, kind reader, I am sure you know. There 
is one in particular, possibly two or three, which stand 
out more distinct and clear than the others. It is now 
so many years, long, long years, since you saw these 
faces in the agony of death. You need not try, you 
cannot forget their last days on earth. They were sad, 
dark days to you. You remember the very moment 
they died, and their very last words. You remember 
when they were lowered into the grave, and how you 
were thrilled with an unspeakable horror of loneliness 
and separation. Your hearts seemed crushed under a 



196 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

great heavy load which was to press upon it forever. 
That was a long time ago^ and I know that you have 
changed since then. You have grown older, and formed 
new attachments^ and as the years advanced you have 
become different from what you were. 

The anchor of love is death. Dead hearts do not 
forsake us. Now look at your own heart. Has it 
changed toward them? Have you sometimes forgotten 
them, and let long periods of time run by without a 
single thought of them entering your mind ? They ask 
you why you have forsaken them. They recall the long 
years spent together and the sweet, pure love that ebbed 
and flowed between you ; and they ask, why you are 
so cold and indifferent now? You have no answer to 
make ; you are silent ! A great gulf seems to be between 
us and the dead — a gulf that seems to widen and deepen 
as the years pass by. Have the dead wandered from us ? 
N'o; it is we who have wandered from them. This. is a 
sad reflection and arouses in us a sense of shame, a 
feeling of inconstancy, and 'therefore, of dishonor. Can 
it be that we have betrayed the dead ? The test of our 
loyalty to them is the prayers we offer up in their behalf. 
While they are in Purgatory they cannot help them- 
selves, but they may be aided by our intercession, our 
good works, the holy Sacrifice. 

We do not know how long they suffer or how great 
their sufferings are, but we are confident they are very 
long and very great. The time may be a little while, 
or it may be long, long years, even ages. The time 
must naturally seem very long. These souls are anx- 
iously awaiting the end of their sorrow ; and it is within 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 197 

our power to assist them. They see Heaven before 
them, and they long to enter into its blessedness. They 
see God before them, and it is anguish unspeakable to be 
separated from Him. If you were out on a storm-tossed 
sea, and your boat crippled, and the angry waves 
threatening every moment to engulf you; if this went 
on for many weeks till finally provisions failed, and the 
gaunt form of famine came walking like a demon on 
the face of the deep ; and then in your distress you saw 
a little speck away off on the horizon; every eye is 
turned toward it in breathless hope ; it grows larger and 
now it stands up like a lone pillar against the deep 
blue sky, and anon the sunlight clothes it in living 
white, and then you see it is a sail sweeping toward 
you before the gale like an angel from Heaven; would 
you not then rejoice? You would weep for very joy. 
Well^ the souls in Purgatory are looking out for that 
sail, that angel, that messenger from God, sent to bring 
them out of sorrow into everlasting happiness and eter- 
nal life. We can hasten that angePs coming; we can 
speed him on his journey. We can do it by our prayers 
and intercessions. 



198 CATHOLIC BEI.IEF AND PRACTICE. 

OUR DUTY TO OURSELVES. 

To know our religion and be acquainted with its 
customs and practices will be of little benefit to us unless 
we put our knowledge to practical account. In other 
words, we should practice our religion. In practicing 
it, living it, acting it, we acquire holiness or sanctity 
which is the ultimate pbject of all religious observances. 

The conditions that everywhere prevail make it clear 
that the truest and best are found in living for God and 
keeping His commandments. It is best to be virtuous 
and to do what is right. Evil does not pay or make 
good its promises. Moral transgression exacts severe 
penalties sooner or later. Experience proves that the 
wages of sin is death, — death not only to the soul, but 
to the greatest things of earth. It kills peace, and 
happiness, and healthy and hope, and opportunity. And 
the same experience proves that the wages of virtue is 
life, — long life and the best the world can give. It 
brings peace, and happiness, and health, and hope^ and 
opportunity, and the consciousness of doing our duty. 

They are working against their own interests who 
do not look carefully after the affairs of the soul, or 
who do not act in such a manner as to please God and 
save their souls. It is true we can do nothing without 
God^s help, but that help is assured. This being cer- 
tain^ it rests entirely with ourselves to practice our holy 
religion and discharge the sacred obligations of life in 
such a manner as to ensure that worth of character 
which only a virtuous life can bring. If life has any 
meaning it is in view of the world to come; if the 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 199 

soul has any value^ it is because it is intended to enjoy 
God; if virtue has any worth, it is to fit the soul for 
endless joy. To make our religion part of our lives is 
a duty we owe ourselves. 

By living our religion we become saintly. By living 
up to its requirements we become saints, and we must 
become saints, otherwise we will miss the purpose of 
life. Sanctity may seem so far above our reach that it 
is useless to strive for it. That is not true. It is not 
that which the few may hope to secure. It is within the 
reach of every one. An ordinary effort is^ all that is 
necessary to attain at least a degree of sanctity. A very 
few of the few extraordinary souls of earth shone with 
such holiness as to be entitled to a place on the calendar 
of saints. There are millions of human souls in Heaven 
to-day whose names shall never appear on any list 
made by human hands. Lead good, holy lives ; practice 
your religion faithfully and serve God well, and you 
will be numbered among them. 

We might specify here in very general terms some 
particulars. Be loyal to God and God's Church. You 
cannot love God and hate His Church. Love God as 
your Father and all men as your brothers. Eesist evil- 
doing with earnestness. The sinner is most out of place 
in the great family of God. We should strive to lead 
sinless lives and bend our efforts to the acquisition of 
virtue. We are not what we should be unless we are at 
least in a degree meek and humble, honest and truthful, 
pure and temperate, charitable and unselfish, sym- 
pathetic and considerate. These soon become habits, 
and when they become habits, th^y impart a value and 



200 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 

worth that are inestimable. They are the only things 
that have personal value and worth. Life will not be 
beautiful without the profusion of their wealth. 

Catholics should be most punctual about attending 
Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Every 
priest can testify that absence from Mass is the primary 
cause of thousands wandering away from God. Attend- 
ance brings them in touch with religious influences, 
while non-attendance engenders an irreligious disposi- 
tion. To attend the other services in the church does 
not bind under the pain of sin^ still we should endeavor 
to be present at all the important services, as they are a 
part of the great work of the salvation of our soul. 

We should be devoted to prayer. No one can dis- 
believe in prayer and believe in Jesus Christ. We can- 
not be His followers unless we are permeated with the 
spirit of prayer. It is a fundamental tenet of Chris- 
tianity. Never miss your morning and evening prayers. 
Pray in times of trouble and temptation, and also in 
periods of joy and prosperity that the sipiles of fortune 
and the pleasures of life may not allure you away from 
the service of God. 

We should have a conscientious regard for the Lord's 
day. It is a bad sign of the times to see how indif- 
ferently it is observed. It should be kept holy. Too 
many work on Sunday or profane it by unbecoming 
occupations. The growing spirit of commercialism has 
a tendency to ignore its religious character, but true 
Christians will not be influenced by this evil tendency. 

Those who love God will frequently have His sweet 
nam6 on their lips and in their hearts, not in vain nor in 



CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTICE. 201 

contempt^ but in reverence and supplication. They will 
hold all human life sacred. Live and let live should be 
their motto. The one who acts according to it will not 
injure the good name nor ruin the fair reputation of 
another, neither will he blight the prospects nor blast 
the hopes nor destroy the opportunities of those with 
whom he comes in contact. You will try to help others 
along, and not be a hindrance to them by any word or 
deed. 

The Catholic religion insists upon purity and chas- 
tity. God loves these virtues and will reward the one 
who practices them. The extravagance of women and 
the immorality of men are at the bottom of most of the 
domestic infelicity and home unrest of the day. Honesty 
is another virtue the Catholic religion insists upon. Be 
honorable and upright in all your dealings with others. 
Take nothing that is not your own. It is anything but 
pleasant to contemplate the prevalence of dishonesty. 
However this may be, 'Catholics know that their religion 
demands straightforwardness and fairness in all their 
relations and dealings with their fellowmen. To act 
otherwise is to throw their religion aside. To steal, to 
rob, to cheat, to misrepresent, to engage in fraudulent 
transactions, to form vicious schemes, to repudiate just 
debts, to refuse fair wages or to be faithless in honest 
work, are forms of dishonesty which the Catholic 
Church says its adherents cannot be parties to, and that 
God will, if the laws of the land will not, punish with 
severe penalties. God has said ^%ou shalt not steal,^^ 
and you cannot mock God. 

Catholics cannot speak falsely either in the state- 



mm 



202 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PBACTICE. 

ment of an untruth or in testifying against others. 
Evils of this kind assume the form of lying, calumny, 
slander, insinuation^ vituperation, false accusation and 
perjury. Do not do these things. Towards others, let 
there be truth, friendship, a kindly word, a sympathetic 
feeling and a helping hand. Such a Christian spirit 
Avill advance your own welfare and promote your own 
betterment. To be anything else is to be false to the 
teachings of your faith! 

You owe to yourself to faithfully discharge the 
duties and fulfill the obligations which arise from your 
state of life. You are required to make an earnest 
effort to do so. The misfortunes of most people come 
from not properly discharging these duties and not con- 
scientiously fulfilling these obligations. They refer 
largely to our daily occupations. Herein lies the secret 
of success. Your success in life is assured when you are 
faithful to its sacred responsibilities. 

Among these duties and obligations are those which 
we owe the public good. We must be good citizens. It 
is incumbent upon us to contribute our share towards 
the advance of the common interests of the country. 
To act in such a manner as to be a detriment to the 
public welfare, to take no interest in selecting those 
who are to guide its destiny^ or to use corrupt means 
to put dishonest or incompetent officials into positions of 
power and trust is to betray the commonwealth. A 
good Catholic means a good citizen, for the welfare of 
the country is advanced by the morality, intelligence 
and loyalty of each and every one of the individuals that 
combine to make the nation. 



CATHOLIO BELIEF AND PEACTICB. 203 

Good reading is a great help to good living. It ele- 
vates the mind, broadens the horizon of thought and 
makes for virtuous feelings and dispositions. It intro- 
duces us into the -company of the best and holiest men 
and women of ^th^- world. It makes us lovers of the 
works of God, — the flower, the tree, the bird, the broad 
prairie, the rolling ocean, the towering mountain, the 
vast expanse of the heavens with its "worlds on worlds 
afar.^^ These are God^s works^ and we can scarcely con- 
template them without becoming better. The compan- 
ionship of good books is infinitely better than the com- 
panionship of the saloon, the club or resort of pleasure. 

It is certainly human to err, but it is saintly to re- 
pent. To live on a morally low plane is to make no 
effort to rise higher. The Sacraments are wonderful 
means not only for the forgiveness of sins, but for the 
acquisition of virtue. No Christian can disbelieve in 
their efficacy nor neglect their use. They are God^s own 
means for the healing, strengthening and growth of the 
soul. Penance and the Holy Eucharist should be re- 
ceived frequently. The Holy Father advises daily Holy 
Communion as the best way "to restore all things in 
Christ.^^ If this can not be done, it is an excellent prac- 
tice to receive them monthly or at least three or four 
times a year. 

Be brave and courageous in the practice of your relig- 
ion. It requires effort to be good and to always do the 
right. Evil is more popular than good. The frowns of 
the wicked are broader than the smiles of the saints. It 
was always thus, and we presume it always will be thus. 
But what do you care for the disapproval of the bad? 



H 



204 CATHOLIC BELIEF AND PRACTIOB. 

Virtue means something to you^ for you have a God 
to love, a Heaven to gain, a Hell to escape and a Pur- 
gatory to be made more lightsome. Bend your efforts 
to please God by keeping His commands, so that you 
may be rewarded with the enrapturing bliss of His 
Presence throughout eternity. 

{the end) 



fc.lL'10 



Catliolic 
Belief and Practice 

BY 
Rev. James EL McGavick 




The M. H. WUfzius Co^ 

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INSPIRING TfmT, ELEVATING 

Some Incenti ves to Right Living 

By the Rt. Rev. Alexander Joseph McGavick» D.D., 
Titular Bishop of MarcopoHs. 

Bound in red cloth, 203 pages, Net $1.00. 
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A boot^ of helpful and uplifting 
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A Few of the Subjects Treated: 

A Christian Philosophy of History. Missions in the New World. 

Early Age. Actual Results of Foreigm Missions. 

Degradadon of the World. Freethinkers of Elighteenth Century. 

Christianity against Paganism. ' French Revolution. 

From Barbarism to Civilization. Freemasonic Experiment. 

The Papaw and ita Temporal Powers. The Cancer of Catholic Countries. 

Religious Orders. Communism and Property. 

Assault of the Aniba. Some Socialistic Ejcperiments. 

The Crusades. ^ Catholic and Protestant Countries 

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Council of Trent. Effect of inEdel Persecutions. 

Protestant Dissolution. Pius X, the Pope of the People. 

Schism of Henry VIII. The Christian World's Demand. 

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